Four ABSN Souls
by BloodAvenger42
Summary: Four souls who have slowly closed themselves in due to their pasts. Their destinies unknown to them. Perhaps one day a Beacon will shine down with the promise of opportunity, but until then they remain completely and utterly ABSeNt.
1. ABSN

Four ABSN Souls

Jaune Arc. A name that was bestowed upon a young boy in the form of a prettied package. This young one would be in charge of continuing on his family's legacy of heroic deeds as his ancestors have. This was considered to be the highest honor to ever be bestowed upon an Arc or so Jaune's father had insisted to little 4-year-old Jaune. Oh how foolish he was to believe such words.

This "honor" that his father and grandfather so spoke of was all just a farce to hide how much of a burden that it was; a burden that would forever be pressing on his shoulders like a million bricks. It only got heavier as Jaune got older especially during times when Jaune was to prove himself. Jaune's father insisted that Jaune carry on the same fighting style as him: with a sword and a shield, a style worthy for that of a heroic knight (again according to Jaune's father) all while wielding the legendary Crocea Mors. Jaune tried to replicate it, he truly did, but his body type wasn't attuned for such. He was too lithe, more suited to finesse rather than strength, but Jaune's father wasn't swayed sure that Jaune would bulk out as years went by.

The years went by indeed, but Jaune remained at a stand still and as those years went by Jaune became very aware of how the world was cruelly starting to reject him. At school:

_"Oh great it's the weakling."_

_ "Hah, what a loser!"_

_ "C'mon crybaby, what's the matter?"_

_ "Get away from me, Vomit Boy!"_

As he walked the streets of his hometown:

_"Hey look, it's the next of kin for the Arc family, hah!"_

_ "It seems that the great Arc legacy ends with that one."_

_ "You think they're going to try and get another son so that they can replace that embarrassment?"_

Even when he was at his own household:

_"Mom why is he so weak?"_

_ "He's not worthy of holding Crocea Mors!"_

_ "Damn it Jaune! Stop being so lazy! Do you wish to embarrass our entire family?!"_

There was no safe haven for Jaune, no person to talk to, nobody to hold him while he cried. Perhaps for a small while he saw some comfort from his mother, but even she saw him as weak. While she never voiced it, she showed it through her actions, how she always seemed to baby him more than the rest and that was a greater insult than anything his father had said to him.

And so Jaune closed himself off, he put on the façade that he was listening to his father, he allowed his mother to get her way, he ignored the hurtful comments thrown his way. He would endure it all for what Jaune Arc lacked in physical strength, he excelled in with his mental capacity. Any other child would have succumbed to self-loathing and maybe even suicide, but not Jaune. Jaune simply did what he did best: he improvised.

Jaune realized long ago that his ancestor's fighting style was not suited to his tastes, so at the dead of night when nobody was watching, Jaune did his own training with a style that was unique to him. It was hard at first, but eventually, Jaune mastered the technique to the point of perfection all while holding the guise of trying to master a century old technique and Crocea Mors was perfect for the job. Jaune hid his emotional hurt with a goofy exterior and locked it all away in his heart. Let them all believe that Jaune Arc was a loser who was bad at everything and couldn't fight to save his life. He would show them all soon enough that Jaune Arc was a name that would be worthy of praise and he would do it **his **way.

By the end of his second year of his combat school Jaune was told that he should give up trying to become a hunter; Jaune couldn't disagree more, but held his tongue and politely took the advice in and threw it out the other ear. Yes, perhaps it was too late to actually prove his worth in the traditional sense, but what was stopping Jaune from becoming the hero he wanted to be by other means. And so Jaune decided to carve his own path towards being a hunter, declaring as much on a farewell letter before leaving his home and taking Crocea Mors with him (as it was his birthright). During his travels, Jaune had plenty of opportunities to taste the fruit of all of his hard work against many native Grimm in the forests surrounding his hometown. Jaune found this as an opportunity to train more in a more practical sense and if it exterminated some of the Grimm threat along with it, all the better. It was during this journey that Jaune discovered another rather useful trait that he possessed: Luck.

It was this trait that allowed for a certain someone to witness Jaune taking down four ursi without breaking a sweat a couple of years later. This person happened to be none other than the legendary headmaster of Beacon Academy himself. Thoroughly impressed by Jaune's display, the man offered Jaune a place in his prestigious academy, an offer that Jaune couldn't refuse.

And so Jaune stood a week later looking up at the dust plane ready to taxi a fresh batch of hunters in training to Beacon. On his person he wore a plain black undershirt along with a pair of navy blue combat pants. Over his shirt he wore a white hooded-wool coat that was red on the inside and ended by the coattails at the back of his knees. The hood itself covered most of Jaune's features except for his mouth. His hands and feet were covered by a pair of black combat boots and a matching pair of fingerless leather gloves. Fastened to Jaune's waist was the ever faithful Crocea Mors still ready for battle despite being centuries in age and on Jaune's back sat a weapon of Jaune's own design: an elegant wooden bow carved by Jaune himself along with the arrows that sat in a leather quiver (also of Jaune's design) strapped across Jaune's back.

If Jaune were to look into the mirror right at this moment, he would most likely allow himself a small moment of pride for how far he had come before hiding behind his goofy persona once again.

_The time for celebration will come when I can finally return home with my head held high._

While Jaune was indeed carving his own future, deep inside he still loved his family and only wanted them to be proud of him for what **he **did, not just doing something that he was expected to do… what he **couldn't **do.

Beacon was Jaune's chance, a chance to finally gain the pride of his family, of his peers, and, though he may not realize it, himself.

_**Ut eques superbia tandem recuperare.**_

* * *

Blake. A name that a young orphan girl bestowed upon herself not really knowing whom her parents were or if they were even still alive. All she knew was that she was on her own and finding a name for herself was a good place to start. Blake learned very young that her kind was not welcome in most parts of the city, her kind being the faunus. Yes, Blake was a faunus, a cat faunus to be precise showing through the two appendages sticking out of her head. It was due to these appendages that hurtful words were thrown at her as she was beaten and tossed aside.

_Freak._

_Animal._

_Beast._

_**Monster.**_

These were words that Blake became very well acquainted with thus adding to her already harsh life, a life that would have most likely ended very young if it weren't for the actions of one kind-hearted older feline faunus by the name of Margaret Belladonna. Margaret found Blake beaten and left for dead in an alleyway by a group of cruel humans and immediately took her in. At first Blake acted like any abused orphan would: closed off and cold, but with time, she soon warmed up to Margaret and soon Blake started to see the kind woman in a better light. A short time after Margaret decided to adopt Blake as her own and thus Blake Belladonna was born.

Blake soon learned of Margaret's involvement in a peaceful faunus organization known as the White Fang that sought for equal rights for faunus through peaceful protest. Upon hearing this Blake immediately wanted to help and proclaimed so to Margaret with such spirit that the latter simply couldn't refuse. And so Blake stood at Margaret's side at every event set up by the White Fang, calling for the end of all wrongs against faunus kind. It wasn't an ideal life, but Blake was happy, finally able to share her sorrows with another and slowly open up once again. Blake even received her first gift from Margaret: a black bow that nestled atop her head so that Blake could walk around freely without resentment at least until faunus equality was reached. She wished for things to stay the way they were for the rest of eternity just her and Margaret happy as can be. Oh how naïve she was to believe this.

It happened during another White Fang led march for peace. It started off like all the others; the members of the White Fang grouped up holding their respective signs and parched down a busy street calling for their cause to be heard with Blake and Margaret at the forefront. Behind them other faunus of the same thought would rally behind them and grow in number. Little did they peaceful group know, the governor had finally become fed up with the constant chanting and decided to deal with it: violently.

Everything happened so fast for Blake. One moment they were walking forth calling for the equal treatment of faunus, the next, a battalion of uniformed and armed police officers cut them off and then: chaos. At first it was tier gas causing mass confusion as the faunus suffered more from the aftereffects due to their augmented senses. Then, during that confusion, the sounds of guns being fired caused confusion to turn to full blown panic. Margaret had immediately tried to get Blake to safety through the chaos. At first it seemed that they would make it out without much injury, but a single crack of a gun turned Blake's world upside down.

There was no official funeral for Margaret as many believed that there was no need for faunus to be buried like humans so Blake took upon herself to do the deed. The emotions that went through Blake at that point were many, but one stood above them all: a harsh, seering **anger**. It flowed through her entire body like a sickness, but Blake kept it at bay saving it for the ones responsible for taking away her happiness. When the White Fang took a turn from a peace-loving organization to a radical group of terrorists, Blake didn't bat an eye, relishing the chance for vengeance. It started with simple boycotts and breaking small businesses to get a message across, but as time went by the White Fang began to militarize and train its members. Blake included. It was during this time of training that Blake created her precious weapon: Gambol Shroud. With it she joined her brothers and sisters in a campaign of revenge against the cruel police force. Blake hadn't forgotten what they did to Margaret and the fires of hatred still burned strong. It was during the campaign that Blake took her first life and in turn allowed Gambol Shroud to taste blood… **human **blood and she **enjoyed **it. With this Blake continued to kill those who didn't deserve to live in her eyes feeling that vengeance was finally being served through her and her trusted weapon.

As the killing progressed and the blood haze began to die, however, Blake started to realize what she was doing. It only sat as an idle afterthought that she may have take things too far, but what really brought it to the forefront was when Blake found a picture of a family from the corpse of a man that she had killed. It was then and there that Blake remembered Margaret's teachings, remembered what the White Fang had truly sought and what it became now. And most importantly Blake came to the horrifying realization that she herself was turning into the things that she didn't want to be. A _Freak_. An _Animal_. A _Beast_. A _**Monster**_. Blake thought of how disappointed Margaret would have been in her and that thought alone stopped Blake from being consumed by the darkness.

That did not by any means free her from her sins, she knew that she had done wrong to many with the lives she had taken and she also began to realize just how radical this new White Fang had become. It had started with the actually corrupt individuals, but soon the scope of the White Fang turned upon all of humanity seeing it as a plague to be burned. _That_ was genocide and Blake wouldn't stand for it. This didn't make her out right leave, however, for one thing or rather one person kept her leashed to the darkening organization: Adam.

Adam Taurus was a friend that Blake had made during the time that the White Fang had first transitioned, he was there by her side as they trained for vengeance, he was the one who helped her make Gambol Shroud. It was he who allowed her to keep her heart open to the world even when it was so cruelly shattered by Margaret's death. Blake hoped by staying with him she could slowly persuade him that this new White Fang was in the wrong and that equality for faunus kind could be attained by less radical means. Adam would not be swayed and Blake could only helplessly watch as the darkness slowly consumed yet another person who she opened her heart to.

It was during a raid of a Schnee Company cargo train that Blake finally drew the line. Adam was more than ready to end the lives of the many crewmembers that were aboard the train. It was then that Blake finally had to accept that her friend was gone and thus Blake closed her heart once again and cut all ties from the White Fang, from Adam. But Blake knew that that wasn't the end for her hands were still coated with blood and she needed much more than water to get it all off. Blake wanted to atone, to right her wrongs somehow to the best of her ability, to make a difference in the world she so cruelly spat on. And so she turned to a very interesting career path: becoming a Huntress.

Blake immediately turned to Beacon, the top school for budding huntsmen but due to her background she knew a resume wouldn't cut it and so she approached the headmaster himself using her superior stealth that she had acquired in her years as an assassin for the White Fang. She explained her situation and her inspiration and to her relief the headmaster seemed to accept it and allowed her entry.

And so Blake stood at the terminal waiting to board the dust plane to Beacon where her new future awaited her. She wore the attire that she had woven for herself during her time in the white fang: a white-sleeveless undershirt with a matching pair of short shorts and a black, buttoned vest with coattails. Over her feet and legs was a long pair of black/purple stockings that reached her hips. Over the stockings she wore a pair of black low-heeled boots and around each forearm she had a black ribbon. These ribbons were simply for décor in Blake's mind for they held nothing of value in comparison to the ribbon that sat nestled upon Blake's head keeping her faunus heritage hidden from the world and reminding Blake of what she had lost but wishes she could undo. Strapped to her back was the weapon that reminded her of her sins and of what the White Fang had taken from her. These were her burdens that she would bear to her grave, but Blake hoped that she would be able to at least lighten them before she got there.

Beacon was Blake's chance, a chance to at least begin to atone for all of the mistakes she made in the past and for tarnishing everything Margaret believed in.

_**Sit invenies propitiationem sicarius.**_

* * *

Weiss Schnee. A name that was bestowed upon a young girl by her mother at upon her dying breath. It was a name that her father associated to her mother's killer. Throughout her early stages of life Weiss grew up not even knowing what her father looked like besides the hazy images of him when she looked upon him as an infant. The family she knew consisted of Schnee family faunus servants who cared for her and saw to her needs. For a while Weiss was content with this despite the sadness she felt of not seeing her father, the kindness of the servants filled the void she had in her heart that he had left behind. Unfortunately for Weiss this pleasant life would come to a swift halt.

She was ten when it happened. The day was peaceful enough, with Weiss helping some of the servants tend the garden. The garden was open to the world, but Weiss felt that she was safe with her family there to care for her and thus when one of the servants requested that she follow him, she agreed without a thought. Before she even knew what was happening, Weiss was suddenly thrown into a van a spirited away to some unknown warehouse where she was tied to a chair and left alone in the dark. It was here where Weiss discovered that the servant that helped these kidnappers and the kidnappers themselves were a part of a group known as the White Fang, an organization hell bent on doing bad things to the world in Weiss' mind.

During her time of captivity Weiss could only feel the dreaded feeling of betrayal and grief. One of the people that she had come to trust as family turned around and stabbed her in the heart. As each day in captivity passed Weiss' grief turned to bitter resentment towards her captors and from there to all faunus kind. To her every faunus was a lowlife degenerate that held some sort of affiliation to the White Fang. Even after the police had finally rescued her and returned her to her father, this view only grew stronger. Thus when Weiss returned home, she greeted the same servants that she once looked upon with warmth and happiness with a emotionless mask as cold as ice.

In the years onward Weiss completely cut any familiar ties with her servants, looking upon each of them with unwavering suspicion and it was during this period of her life that her father had finally decided to talk to her. At first Weiss felt a small bit of happiness surface that the prospect of finally meeting her father for the first time in a long time. Perhaps it was a small hope that she had held onto like a life line that maybe, just maybe her father would open up to her and perhaps see her as a part of his family. Oh how incredibly idiotic she was for thinking so.

The only reason that her father was speaking to her was because an older sister that Weiss never knew she even had was no longer fit to take charge of the company and thus the duty had fallen upon her. This should have cost another bout of grief upon the fact that she was a simple afterthought to her father and nothing more, but in reality Weiss felt… nothing. It was almost as if she were an empty husk with no purpose in life so what could she do either than allow her father to mold her into the perfect heiress to his empire through many harsh teachings and numeral lessons on how to be a proper lady. It was like this for years to come all of them with Weiss convincing herself that she would only be worthy in her father's eyes through absolute perfection. It was as if a miniscule part of her still stubbornly held onto this pointless hope for love in a world that had none to give. At least that was her viewpoint until she met her sister for the first time.

The meeting was an awkward one to say the least. Weiss' father called for a family dinner, which ended up being more of a meeting with food being served in front of them. Weiss was of course in the seat closest to her father, but it felt so far away despite the proximity. Sitting across from her was a girl named Winter Schnee who was apparently her sister. At first Weiss didn't pay the other girl any mind thinking that Winter would be the same as her father: cold and calculating; wanting nothing less than perfection. Weiss was proven completely wrong when Weiss and Winter were sent away so that their father could speak privately with his advisors allowing the sisters to speak in private. It was then that Weiss discovered that Winter was nothing like her father and actually held a kind persona full of warmth despite her name. What really broke through Weiss' emotionless façade was a single, soft sentence that Winter whispered:

"_You look just like mother…"_

Winter told Weiss of their shared mother, the kind hearted woman that held the same cerulean tint as Weiss' own eyes and had long flowing hair as white as snow. Winter told her of a woman that was kind to everyone around her, how she had the love of her servants, her daughter… her husband. While all of this brought a small bit of happiness for Weiss knowing who her mother was, it also brought another emotion to the surface: guilt. Here was a woman who had the love of everyone around her and Weiss came along and ended the life of such kind soul. Before Weiss could fall into the pit of self-loathing, however, Winter pulled her right back out with another sentence that would stay with her forever as well as change how she thought of her life:

"_Mother wouldn't want you to be like this, she loved you more than you will ever know…"_

It was due to Winter that Weiss allowed the floodgates sealing her heart to open up somewhat thanks to the love that her sister was showing her as well as the love that her mother had even through death. It was then that Weiss decided that she needed to break free of her father's suffocating clutches and that was how she came across the idea of becoming a huntress… and also starting up a new hair style.

Winter did not see Weiss differently for this change and for that she was grateful, but Weiss' father on the other hand…

"_After everything I have given you, wish to pursue such a pathetic excuse of a career?!"_

Had Weiss not met Winter she would never had even spoken out against her father in such a way, but a bout of icy determination sprung the depths of Weiss' soul. It was so strong that Weiss had the audacity to challenge her father to combat. The result was a duel with a dust powered Schnee Guardian, a high tech robot designed to be able to use dust to augment its attacks much like a trained hunter did with aura. The conditions of the duel were simple: win and Weiss would be able to do as she wished, lose and Weiss would be banished from the Schnee family. Weiss was given a week to prepare and it was during that week that Winter helped Weiss design and forge the one thing in life that the latter could be truly proud of: Myrtenaster.

It was with this weapon that faced the Schnee Guardian and walked away victorious with a scar upon her left eye to prove her feat (as well as further ruin her father's image of the perfect heiress). Weiss' father sneered at her victory:

"_You were never worthy to be the Schnee head anyway."_

Despite saying this, the man stayed true to his word and made the necessary arrangements to get Weiss into Beacon Academy, the most prestigious school for budding huntsmen.

And so Weiss stood with her luggage of dust behind her as she looked upon the vessel that would take her to her new destiny. On her person she wore a white combat dress that faded to cobalt as it to the end of the skirt with a black frilled undershirt with only a small portion at her chest showing. Over it all was a white bolero jacket that was red at the inside. Her look was completed with a pair of white heeled wedge boots.

This was where it would start. Here Weiss would carve out her own destiny and break free of the shackles that her father tried to restrain her with. She would aspire to conserve her mother's image, or the image that her beloved sister had supplied her with. And while she still held a bit of resentment to the White Fang (…okay maybe more than just a bit) she made it a personal mission to try to keep it the resentment from spreading to all faunus. With all this she would make her father recognize her for the woman that she became through her own trials and not the ones that he created for her.

Beacon was Weiss' chance to gain the recognition that she truly desired from her father and all others who simply saw her as "the Schnee heiress".

_**Ut reginae agnitionis invenies illa meretur.**_

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos. A name given to a girl who was considered to be a prodigy of war craft at a very young age. The name held very little meaning at first, but thanks to Pyrrha's natural grace in athletics she quickly made that name one to be remembered by many. It was a name that belonged to a true goddess of the battlefield of any combat form whether it be by blade or by rifle. Naturally this got Pyrrha a lot of attention and praise and it only grew stronger due to her humble personality. She was the perfect warrior, a paragon that all others should strive for and for a while she was made to believe that this was a feat to be proud of. Oh how ignorant she was to believe this.

As days dragged on Pyrrha began to notice that most of her "friends" were not really friends at all. They simply wanted the attention that comes with being acquainted with somebody of high regard and high-reaching fame. When Pyrrha discovered this there was bitterness at first, but before it could surface she swallowed it down and hid it behind her practiced smile. Her father had said that she couldn't let her image be tainted by a frown and so she kept up her smile almost to the point where she could almost consider it a mask. It was perfect really, a fake smile to shield her real emotions from equally fake friends. Still, Pyrrha couldn't help but hope that perhaps someday, real friends would come around, but until then she would keep her mask on and lock away every negative feeling that she had.

As days turned to months Pyrrha began to really feel the stress that came with being famous. The constant droning of the paparazzi, the constant love letters from adoring fans, the endless badgering of companies who wanted her face on their products. The media closely just waiting for her to make a mistake was watching every move that Pyrrha made. It was like she was dangling helplessly above a pit of hungry sharks ready tear her apart if she so much as breathed wrong. It was suffocating, but her father insisted that she would have to get used to it as such was the price of being held at such high regard. And so Pyrrha kept on smiling forcing down the stress she felt to keep on the façade that she was the "Invincible Spartan" that the people had come to know and love.

As months turned into years Pyrrha started to see that her family was affected by the fame she possessed almost brainwashed by it. Her father had become engrossed with all the revenue that came with all her sponsors and thus continued to push her to keep going completely ignoring her plight.

"_Keep on smiling Pyrrha! You're doing the Nikos family proud!"_

Pyrrha's mother enjoyed the attention that was given to her by the media being the mother of the prodigy and therefore was also completely blind to her daughter's needs.

"_What was that darling? Can it wait for a few minutes I'm heading down to the mall so I've got to look pretty for the cameras!"_

It was here that Pyrrha had come to realize just how much she wanted to break free from it all. She didn't want this, any of it. The fame, the sponsors, the attention from the masses; she wanted it all gone like a distant memory or a nightmare. She wanted to live a normal life and have normal friends who saw her for her and not some paragon to be put upon a pedestal and revered. She wanted release all of her pent up emotions upon the press, upon her fake friends, upon her ignorant parents. She wanted to finally be able to **breath**… But she couldn't. Pyrrha Nikos was many things: talented, smart, kind, the list goes on and on… but sad and angry weren't on there. Pyrrha Nikos would never turn her back to her fans. Pyrrha Nikos would never let the cameras get to her as the pressed down upon her. Pyrrha Nikos would never lash out at her parents no matter how ignorant they may be.

With all these things Pyrrha found a horrifying truth: she was trapped. For too long she hid within a practiced mask of kindness hiding the real her from the rest of the world in order to keep up an image. She had squeezed herself into a two-dimensional persona and was now trapped within with no real way of getting out. If she ever did try, the press would immediately embed its gangly claws into her flesh, the fake smiles would turn into sneers, and her parents would become more far away than they already were. Pyrrha had wanted to weep right then and there but even in the privacy of her own room she couldn't even shed a tear. She was so far gone that she couldn't even stay true to the girl staring back at her through the mirror smiling that same mask of happiness.

Every human being had a limit and as years went by Pyrrha slowly began to lose her sanity, she needed an out, she needed to get away from this else she might explode. But what? What could possibly get her out of this constant whirlpool? What can end the torment that Pyrrha's name brought upon her?

"_You must be the famed Pyrrha Nikos that everyone here has been talking about, a pleasure to be sure, I am Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy."_

When a man whose name carried more weight behind then hers approached Pyrrha she felt fear (which of course was hidden behind her mask as every other negative emotion was). But then the man made her an offer, an offer that may be the solution the problem that she had been craving for a very long time.

"_How would you like to become a huntress in training at Beacon?"_

And so Pyrrha stood before the ship that would take her towards a new beginning. Her parents were adverse to the idea at first, but after a bit of convincing by the headmaster himself, they soon warmed up to the idea and for the first time in a long time they actually seemed happy for her and not her fame. Pyrrha took this as a good omen, which perhaps there was some hope of her meeting actual life-long companions. It was disheartening at first when some of the students seemed to recognize her either due to the fact that they were from the same kingdom as her or they heard rumors of her feats. But as she walked along she had come to the delightful discovery that most of Beacon's student body was more focused on their future lives as huntsmen rather than fawn over a celebrity. Some even held jealousy for the Spartan and oddly enough Pyrrha accepted this whole-heartedly for it at least felt real.

Beacon was Pyrrha's chance to be free from the shackles that her name had so mercilessly tried to lock onto her to keep her down.

_**Spartam libertatum consequi potest.**_

* * *

They were four lonely souls so different in their pasts and yet so closely intertwined. They are all looking for something and fate had brought them all to Beacon to give them a new future. It is here where these four individuals will carve their own destinies. It is here where they will face many trials that will test them both physically and mentally. It is here in this prestigious academy where Jaune **A**rc, Blake **B**elladonna, Weiss **S**chnee, and Pyrrha **N**ikos will take the first step to reaching what the really want. Until then their souls will remain completely and utterly:

**ABS**e**N**t

**ABSN**

_**Ut eorum animae liber ab absente.**_

_**Ut sit in sempiternum, et fata illorum inter se implicata.**_


	2. Four Souls Meet

**Chapter 1: Four Souls Meet**

_Blue skies… white clouds… moving buildings at the bo-_

Gurgle.

_Ugh…_

Jaune Arc felt many things upon first entering the dust ship to Beacon. Excitement and curiosity were the two most dominant due to the fact that he had never been on a dust ship before let alone seen one. As soon as the ship took off however, it didn't take long for those feeling to fade away due to the nausea that settled in. It was right then and there that Jaune discovered that he had airsickness.

_And what a way to find out too._

Jaune sighed as he settled down in the nearest empty seat in order to focus on reining in his wild stomach.

_I wish my aura could cure this... this is just too much to handle..._

Jaune shook his head and sighed.

_Just another thing to hate about my family bloodline I guess..._

"Oooooh Ican'tbelievemybabysisterisgoingtoBeaconwithmethisisthebestdayever!"

_What?_

Jaune steeled himself as he risked looking up to survey his surroundings and he immediately caught a flash of yellow. Upon closer inspection he saw a that the yellow was actually the color of long wild hair that belonged to rather tall girl hugging a much shorter girl with short black hair with red tips and silver eyes. Jaune also realized that the blonde was the source of all the commotion. The girl with silver eyes didn't seem at all comfortable with how loud the taller girl was. She seemed to try to make herself smaller as if it would make her invisible to the eyes staring at her.

_That looks kinda familiar… oh right that was me when I was still in combat school._

Jaune frowned as he remembered his life there where everybody either out right ignored him or teased him. In order to avoid the teasing he tried to make himself as small as possible and keep his head down and it worked most of the time. Jaune shook his head before he delved too far.

_Enough of that, what's past is past for now we look towards the future such as getting off this blasted death trap._

Jaune groaned as his stomach decided to remind him of his plight. Suddenly a hand appeared in front of his face causing him to rear back in alarm. Following the arm up he realized that it belonged to a girl and by Oum was she a beauty.

_Damn, white hair? Don't see many people with that. And don't get me started on those eyes… I wonder where she got that scar?_

Jaune averted his eyes before he stared anymore… he probably could have done it all day and that would have rung all the creeper bells. Instead he looked at what the girl was offering: a couple of pills of some sort.

"They're airsickness pills," said the girl suddenly as if reading Jaune's mind, "You looked like you needed them."

The girl had a rather harsh edge in the way she spoke, it made her come off ice-cold, but for some reason Jaune had a feeling that she didn't mean for it to be like that.

_Focus Jaune you're leaving the lady hanging._

With that Jaune's focus returned to the real world.

"Thanks," he said taking the offered pills and gulping them down.

As he waited for the pills to take effect he looked back up at the girl who offered them to him only to find that she had taken a seat next to him.

_"Remember Jaune, all ladies like confidence! So be sure to show them how confident you can be and they will be swooning for you!"_

Jaune almost snorted right then and there when he heard his father's voice echoing in his head.

_Yeah… and you also told me to continue training a fighting style that clearly wasn't working for me. Kind of speaks volumes how reliable your advice is._

Jaune instead opted for a smile of gratitude.

"Again thank you."

The girl waved off his gratitude.

"No thanks needed, what many of these uncultured swines fail to realize is that airsickness is quite common but thanks to modern medicine it seems as though it doesn't exist," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Jaune smirked at that.

"Yeah well I wouldn't know," he said, "I mean this is kind of my first time actually riding a dust plane, I've only read about them in books."

The girl looked at Jaune in surprise.

"You haven't ridden a dust plane before?"

"Well I'm from a rather rural part of Vale so I've never really had the need to ride one of these stuuuusplendid works of mechanical engineering."

Jaune caught the slightest hints of a smile from the girl before it was mercilessly crushed.

_Well, I wasn't really expecting much anyway; this girl looks like she's had it rough._

"I see, it is unfortunate that your first time has to be in a negative light."

Jaune shrugged.

"Eh, I've had worst things happen to me," he said, "A queasy stomach isn't going to be the end of the world, which the pills rectifying very nicely."

Jaune was happy to find that the pills were working their magic on settling his stomach and getting rid of the nausea. He could actually look around and sit up straight without feeling like he needed to barf.

"Okay I really need to know where to buy these magical pills of magical awesomeness."

The white haired girl rolled her eyes at that.

"You can find them in any pharmacy in the city and for reasonably cheap since airsickness is so common."

Jaune nodded at that information only to smack himself on the head.

"Crap, I've been having an entire conversation with you and I haven't even introduced my self," he groaned before clearing his throat, "I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc nice to meet you Miss…"

"Schnee, Weiss Schnee."

Jaune nodded at this.

"Very nice to meet you Miss Schnee," he said.

_And nailed it! Hah! Take that dad! You can take your dumb advice and shove it up your-_

Suddenly Jaune realized that Weiss was still staring at him as if expecting something. Jaune blinked and lifted a brow.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

Weiss blinked before shaking her head.

"N-No! It's just that…" she stopped before looking at him skeptically, "Do you really not know who I am?"

"Well… if your name has some sort of weight behind it then I'm sorry for not recognizing it… rural neighborhood and all… kind of kept out of the loop in terms of world news…"

Jaune scratched the back of his head sheepishly while chuckling nervously. Weiss simply rolled her eyes again at that.

"Never mind then, it's not that important anyway," she said before standing up, "Now if you would excuse me I have other matters I must attend to before we arrive at Beacon, it was a pleasure to meet you."

Jaune nodded in understanding.

"Likewise Miss Schnee."

Weiss nodded before turning around and walking away, but before she got too far she stopped.

"And Jaune?"

Jaune blinked and looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Weiss favoring him with a soft smile.

"The next time we meet, just Weiss will suffice."

With that she spun on her heels and continued towards her destination leaving Jaune speechless. The only thing going through the boy's head at the moment was:

_She's even more beautiful when she smiles…_

Jaune shook his head and chuckled to himself.

_Look at me getting all smitten over the first girl that actually decided to sit down and have a conversation with me. Jaune Arc you are one sad soul._

A wave of melancholy washed over Jaune at that.

_More sad than you will ever realize._

Jaune shook his head.

_Enough of that now, let's just go and do something now that my stomach won't explode. Like get to know people! Yeah that's a good start!_

Perhaps he could start with the girl that he knew was subtly watching him from a dark corner of the ship. Kind of creepy really but hey, he wasn't one to judge. There was also that redheaded girl who seemed approachable enough; hell there were the two girls he saw right near him too.

_You know what screw it I'll just wing it._

* * *

There are not many who appreciate the joys of sitting down and reading a book, especially those of the younger generation. But for a certain Blake Belladonna this was one of life's wonders, she only wished she had more time to do it. Currently Blake was sitting in a secluded corner of the dust ship ferrying all of the new students towards Beacon. There she idly observed the people around her while also taking in every detail of the text in front of her. A habit that she had picked up during her time in the White Fang and hadn't gotten rid of due to how useful it was.

_Hey, you take what you can get in this botched up life._

From Blake's observations only a few people were really noteworthy:

There were the stepsisters near the windows: the older one having long, wild blonde hair and the younger one having black hair with red tips. It was thanks to her faunus hearing that she picked up on the fact that they were sisters, then again with how loud the blonde was being everyone in the ship knows.

Then there was the hyperactive ginger and her silent companion. The two looked to be polar opposites and yet they clung to each other so closely. Well, it was the ginger doing most of the clinging while the silent one simply let it happen. Blake discerned that the two must have been childhood friends or something along those lines for such a thing to occur.

What really caught her attention however were three individuals: the blonde boy with the hood, the redhead Amazonian with Spartan armor, and the Schnee.

Blake knew right off the bat from seeing the white hair that the girl it belonged to was Weiss Schnee, youngest daughter of Adolf Schnee, head of the infamous Schnee Corporation. Being a faunus, Blake naturally felt resentment towards the Schnee Corporation due to their well-known cruelty towards her kind. This resentment carried over towards the Schnee family itself for allowing such atrocities to happen. But when Blake looked at Weiss, she couldn't feel the same amount of resentment due to two things: One she had heard of what the White Fang did to Weiss at a very young age, which would justify if Weiss held bitterness towards faunus, but the second most important thing was what Blake saw when she looked into the young Schnee's eyes. What she saw was a girl who held a professional front in order to hide away the sad, lonely girl underneath. In a way it reminded Blake of herself and for that reason alone Blake felt more intrigue for Weiss rather than resentment.

This notion was proven further when Weiss approached the blonde haired boy with the hood who seemed to be suffering from airsickness. From their exchange Blake learned that the boy's name was Jaune Arc and that he was from a rural part of Vale. But that information was not what Blake was interested in. She was more taken by the internal war that seemed to happen within Jaune's eyes. It was well hidden behind a goofy exterior making it impossible for Weiss to really see it especially if Blake was correct about her analysis of her. Blake theorized that it was because of this that the two were just as intrigued by each other as she was of them. She also surmised that it was the reason why the seemed so much… happier when they went off on a first name basis.

Then Blake turned her thoughts back to the redhead. From what she gathered from idle chatter around her, Blake learned that the girl's name was Pyrrha Nikos, apparently a big shot from Mistral who graduated at the top of her class at her combat school of Sanctum along with a bunch of other impressive feats that Blake had no care for. The thing that got Blake about this girl was the mask that seemed even more apparent than either Jaune or Weiss'. There was something so unnatural about it and yet it seemed to so natural to Pyrrha to the point where she was almost impossible to read. Her smile was so obviously fake, but it was so concise that Blake couldn't actually clearly read what her true feelings were and that frustrated her to no end.

"Pardon me."

Blake almost jumped out of her skin when she realized the very person that was plaguing her thoughts was standing in front of her with that mask of happiness still plastered on her face. Blake immediately steeled her nerves and put on her own mask of indifference.

"Oh, is there something you need?" she asked evenly with practiced discipline.

The answer seemed just as practiced but unnoticeable to those who weren't paying close attention.

"Nothing really, I just wanted to get to start getting to know my fellow classmates and you looked rather lonely here so I thought that I would say hello."

_Words couldn't describe how lonely I feel… but something tells me that you're on the same boat._

Blake pushed the thought to the back of her head as she focused on the conversation she was currently having.

"Well, I was actually just trying to find somewhere secluded so I could read without anyone interrupting."

"Oh my apologies for interrupting you, I'll-."

"No, no it's alright I wasn't able to focus on my book anyway."

Blake was taken aback from the words that came out of her mouth. They had burst forth before she could even think twice about it. Something about Pyrrha just made her want to get to know her more… perhaps it was the fact that she wanted to figure out what was going on behind that mask, she didn't really know.

"Well then I'll just start by introducing myself, I'm Pyrrha Nikos," said Pyrrha with that infuriatingly fake smile of hers.

Blake calmed herself and politely nodded.

"Blake, it's a pleasure to meet the 'Champion of Mistral'."

Blake took note of the subtle flinch Pyrrha made at the sound of the title.

_Either that title isn't everything that it seems or she simply doesn't like being called that…_

Blake was thoroughly impressed at how quick Pyrrha was to cover up any trace of discomfort once again defaulting to her fake smile.

"Just Pyrrha is fine, it would be quite awkward to be constantly referring to me by my title."

_Okay, so definitely doesn't like being called that… hmm…_

"Well either way it's a pleasure."

Suddenly Blake started to become very aware of all the stares coming her way due to whom she was talking to. She immediately forced any sort of discomfort behind her mask of indifference but the nagging feeling was still there.

_Freak…_

Blake tried to block the venomous voice out but as the quick glances in her directions became more apparent so did the voice.

_Animal…_

Blake had to will herself not to reach up to feel if her bow was in place.

_Beast…_

They were whispering now, most likely wondering why the great Pyrrha Nikos was talking to some random girl hiding in a corner…

_**Monster...**_

"Blake?"

Blake was thrown out of her trance to see that Pyrrha's fake smile had faded away to a frown of concern. This would have been a refreshing change… had Blake not been the target of it.

_Crap I need a distraction or something…_

Blake was just about to open her mouth when suddenly laughter erupted from all over the dust ship. Blake glanced around and saw that it was Jaune who was the cause of the laughter as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head with his goofy grin plastered on his face. Suddenly his eyes flicked towards her and he winked before going back to being sheepish again. Blake blinked at that before noticing that the people that were whispering about her were now occupied in laughing at Jaune.

_Was my discomfort that palpable that even he saw it?_

Blake took a deep breath to calm herself.

_Just keep you head down and they won't notice you… although I'll have to thank him later for what he's doing._

"Is he a friend of yours?"

Blake had almost forgotten that Pyrrha was standing before her. Blake was caught so off guard that her brain couldn't come up with anything intelligent to say.

"Huh?" Blake said instead.

_Really?!_

Pyrrha simply smiled her fake smile before politely repeating her question while gesturing to the blonde boy.

"Is he a friend of yours?"

Blake looked at the boy in question who had created a diversion so that he was the subject of everyone's laughter even though they were complete strangers. For someone to do something like that on a whim…

"…Not now but maybe in the near future."

The words escaped Blake's mouth before she even realized what she was saying and for some reason she couldn't bring herself to care. Meanwhile Pyrrha seemed to accept this answer.

"I see, perhaps I'll follow your example."

Blake heard the subtle hint of melancholy in her words and when she turned to look at the redhead again, she was almost shocked at what she saw. For the first time since seeing her, the Spartan girl's mask seemed to have slipped off somewhat allowing Blake to catch a glimpse of the true Pyrrha. She saw sadness, anger, jealousy, and a whole load of negative emotions flicker across Pyrrha's eyes before a split second later they all seemingly disappeared as Pyrrha managed to regain composure and slip her mask back into place. But Blake had already seen what she needed to see.

_Just how lonely were you Pyrrha Nikos?_

Before Blake could ponder any further, however, a stern voice cut through the air like a knife through butter.

"Don't you imbeciles have better things to do than laugh at somebody else's mistake?"

Blake looked towards the source of the voice and saw that Schnee had reentered the scene with her cold exterior almost radiating displeasure. The effect of her voice was impressive and at the same time unsettling as everyone immediately shut their traps causing the room to become dead silent.

* * *

Weiss was not a happy girl at the moment as would anybody else if they their good mood was ruined.

Weiss didn't know why but she had a warm feeling when she saw that Arc fellow. To sate her curiosity she had walked up to him and offered him some of her airsickness medication that she always packed incase her own airsickness decided to act up again. He was an interesting boy to say the least, always cheerful and a bit of a dunce and yet he also held an infinite amount of intelligent within his eyes. He wasn't like most of the 2-Dimensional twats that tried asking her out due to her status. Hell, a plus to it all was that he had no idea what the name Schnee stood for.

Thus when Weiss returned to the same spot where she met the boy and found him being laughed at by the entire cabin, her anger reached an all new high.

"Well?" she hissed glaring at the surrounding students staring at her in fear.

_As they should._

Everybody immediately went about his or her own business albeit in a more fearful and nervous manner. Satisfied, Weiss turned to Jaune who looked upon Weiss with a look of shock and also gratitude perhaps not used to such acts in his defense. Weiss was actually trying to figure out herself why she did it.

"Well I really wasn't expecting our second meeting to be so soon, but thanks Weiss," said Jaune.

Weiss found that she liked the way her name sounded when he said it.

_Wait what?_

Weiss shook the treacherous thought away as she readdressed the boy before her.

"Again, no thanks needed, these idiots needed to be taught of their place."

Jaune chuckled at that.

"Well you taught them good alright."

"Ahem."

Weiss peaked around Jaune and found a tall blonde and rather young girl staring at her and Jaune.

"Are ya gonna introduce us to your friend there lady killer?" asked the blonde teasingly.

Weiss blinked at that.

_Friend…_

Weiss never really had any friends when she grew up. Sure she held a bond that she recently rebuilt with her faunus servants, but she never actually had friends that were of her age. She looked at Jaune who seemed just as perplexed as she was at the term and this made her feel a stronger sense of kinship with him. Jaune returned her gaze with an awkwardly goofy smile, but Weiss spotted the subtle amount of anxiety behind it. And so Weiss allowed another smile through her cold exterior and nodded to him. It was a silent message of her acceptance one that Jaune seemed to understand perfectly as his smile seemed to grow into one that seemed a bit more real.

"Yang, Ruby, this is Weiss, Weiss, this is Yang and Ruby," said Jaune introducing the names of the blonde and the younger girl respectively.

"Hey…" said Ruby while nervously waving at Weiss.

Yang on the other hand strode up to Weiss and extended a hand to her.

"Nice to meet'cha!"

Weiss took the hand and matched the other girl's strong grip with her own.

"Likewise."

Suddenly the ambiance of the news was cut off as a holographic figure of a strict looking blond woman replaced all of the screens.

"**Hello and welcome to Beacon," **said the hologram.

"Who's that?" asked Yang.

"**My name is Glynda Goodwitch."**

"Oh."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

_That's why you should have some patience and listen before you ask questions._

"**You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy," **continued the hologram, **"Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace and as future huntsmen and huntresses it is your duty to uphold it."**

Weiss felt a bit of pride upon hearing these words. This was it; she would finally be able to show her father that Weiss Schnee can be a name to remember and not because it is connected to a financial empire of dust manufacturing.

"**You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."**

At that last sentence the hologram disappeared and suddenly the view outside become much more apparent. There were gasps of awe as the future students gathered around the windows to see the spectacle before them, Ruby included with them. Weiss shook her head in amusement.

_Honestly the windows were there the entire time and it only took now for people to notice?_

Yang had walked up next to Ruby and put an arm around her shoulder giving Weiss a chance to sneak a peak at Jaune. The boy had a small grin on his face, but also a shine of determination that glinted through his eyes as he gazed unseeingly at the view outside. It seemed that Weiss wasn't the only one who saw Beacon as a chance for a new beginning. Suddenly Jaune noticed Weiss looking at him and returned her glance with a goofy grin.

"Aren't ya gonna enjoy the view Weiss?" he asked.

Weiss smiled again, something that was easy to do around this boy.

"I'll let others get their share of the view," she said.

Jaune shrugged before turning his head to look at something behind him. Weiss followed his eyes and saw that his eyes were trained upon a girl with long black hair and an equally black bow tied up on her head wearing rather gothic looking clothing. Next to the girl was another girl with bright red hair that was complimented by her armor who seemed a bit familiar to Weiss but she wasn't exactly sure where she had seen this girl. Before she could muse further Jaune's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Well since Ruby and Yang are busy why don't we get to know more people?"

Before Weiss realized it, Jaune strode over to the two girls and she followed behind.

_Why not, I've spent most of my life hating everyone in creation; I might as well start breaking away from that, especially since I promised Winter._

* * *

It was amusing to see people so enamored by a simple view even though it was indeed glorious, but Pyrrha was simply glad that it took attention away from her. As soon as Pyrrha boarded the ship her ears were greeted with the pesky sounds of gossip and most if it pointing at her.

_"Isn't that the Champion of Mistral?"_

_ "Holy crap it's Pyrrha Nikos!"_

_ "Isn't that the girl on the cereal box?"_

_ "She looks so cool!"_

There were even some brave ones who walked up to her to say hello and ask for her autograph, which she begrudgingly signed with her practiced smile plastered onto her face.

_Honestly I can trick myself into thinking I'm actually enjoying this at this point._

This suffocating atmosphere was part of the reason why she had decided to talk to Blake. The girl seemed to hold a mysterious aura that hid her away from everyone else almost seeming invisible, yet it also seemed so alluring. Pyrrha also noticed how Blake seemed to analyze every single person around her like potential threats something that seemed rather off-putting yet interesting at the same time.

Talking to Blake only confirmed Pyrrha's suspicions judging from the way she seemed to be studying her every mannerism during their entire conversation. The only time it stopped was when Blake noticed the attention that was being brought upon her by Pyrrha simply standing before her and tried to make herself smaller. This made Pyrrha a bit guilty for causing the girl discomfort, but honestly Blake seemed to hold something resembling a person that would treat her as an equal and not somebody to be worshipped… at least she hoped.

"Hiya!"

Pyrrha was thrown out of her thoughts as she spotted a shock of blonde and white approaching where she and Blake were currently settled. The blonde boy was somebody else she was interested in due to the fact that he seemed to radiate friendliness to the point where people started smiling for no apparent reason when he was around. Yet through this Pyrrha saw a little bit of herself within him, hiding behind a fake smile to lock away the true pain inside. Honestly Pyrrha was thinking of talking to him but decided against it due to nerves.

_And yet you go off and cause Blake discomfort._

Pyrrha pushed the treacherous thought aside and focused on the blonde boy that was now standing before her.

"Thought I'd introduce myself to my fellow students before we get thrown into the fray," said the boy cheerily before extending a hand to Pyrrha, "Jaune Arc, pleasure to meet you."

Pyrrha smiled back as practiced and took the offered hand.

"Pyrrha Nikos," she greeted back.

Jaune nodded with a happy grin before turning towards Blake taking Pyrrha by surprise. She expected him to be jumping up and down gushing about her feats.

_Does he not know?_

She was thrown out of her musings when the white haired girl stepped up to her. Pyrrha had seen this girl talking with Jaune earlier and was impressed by the display she made to defend the said boy when he became the center of all laughter. The girl stuck out her hand her hand and greeted Pyrrha in a voice that sounded much like the politicians that she had to shake hands with when she was back in Mistral.

"Weiss Schnee, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Nikos."

Pyrrha greeted her accordingly.

"The pleasure is mine Miss Schnee."

The two shared a firm handshake before stepping away from one another. Pyrrha glanced over at Jaune only to find him talking amicably with Blake. She could only envy how much more at ease Blake seemed when _he_ was talking to her.

"He has an effect on people I can never fathom."

Pyrrha blinked and turned to find that it was Weiss who made the soft observation as she watched Jaune along with her. Weiss continued on not even caring if Pyrrha was listening or not.

"I came to this academy to become a better person and make a difference, but I never once thought about friends or even acquaintances for that matter…"

Pyrrha watched in amazement as Weiss slowly let down that professional front she greeted Pyrrha with revealing a girl who was kind and fragile. Pyrrha slowly looked towards Blake and saw a transformation with her as well, no longer wearing an emotionless façade, as she seemed to allow a small smile on her face as she talked to Jaune. Jaune himself seemed a bit more at ease, no longer a jumbling mess but still had the comedian's touch to everything he said.

"And by the way you don't have to call me 'Miss Schnee'."

Pyrrha looked over at Weiss again who was looking back at her with a soft smile on her face.

"Just Weiss is fine."

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile back, and not the fake smile she always wore, but a sincere smile.

"As you wish, but only if you call me Pyrrha."

"Deal."

Suddenly Jaune seemed to remember that there were two others with him causing him to spin around towards her and Weiss with wide eyes.

"Woops! How could I forget about you two I was so caught up in this lovely conversation!" he said with a chuckle.

"I guess you can call it lovely," said Blake with a small smirk.

"I resent that statement," said Jaune in mock indignation before smiling again and turning towards Weiss.

"So did you girls get to know each other?"

Weiss turned to Pyrrha and smiled at her, which Pyrrha returned in kind.

"Yes, yes we did."

Jaune's smile brightened even more.

"Cool! Now my friends know each other!" he exclaimed.

Pyrrha blinked. She honestly didn't remember when she had a true friend _if_ she ever had one.

"Friend?" she whispered to no one.

Apparently Jaune heard this and suddenly his smile ebbed a bit.

"Y-Yeah… unless… of course…"

Pyrrha felt panic surge through her.

"N-no! It's not like that it's just-," she began.

"You never really had a friend," finished three voices.

Pyrrha stopped mid sentence with her mouth agape as she stared at the knowing smiles of the other three. Jaune stepped forward and held his hand out in the center of them.

"How about we become each other's first friends?" he said gesturing to all four of them.

"I like the sound of that," said Weiss as she put her hand on top of Jaune's.

Blake studied Weiss for a while before she smirked again.

"I'm in," she said as she too put her hand in the center.

Jaune kept his eyes trained on Pyrrha.

"How about you Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha stared at the three people before her. She had only been with them for barely half an hour and already she felt a closer bond with them than any 'friend' she had back at Mistral. With that thought Pyrrha smiled a grander smile that fully showed what she felt at that moment.

"Gladly," she said putting her own hand on top of theirs.

If someone else saw them they would have beheld a rather humorous sight. Four teenagers in a circle with their hands in the center smiling at each other like idiots. Honestly, Pyrrha couldn't care any less. Right now she was feeling higher than she ever did in any part of her life. That was why when Jaune decided to make fun of their position by saying a joking, "Go team!" she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her frame. Apparently this proved infectious as it got all of them laughing softly and boy did it feel good.

"Hey there, beautiful, I'm Cardin, what's your name?"

And just like that the feeling disappeared. Jaune fell back into his goofy persona, Blake once again slid on her emotionless mask, Weiss threw up her professional front, and Pyrrha herself went back to her practiced, polite smile as they all removed their hands from the center and turned to regard a tall boy with an impressive build (not that any of the girls really cared).

The boy in question, or Cardin as he so called himself, was smiling cockily down at Weiss who met his gaze with her cold expression.

"What did you refer to me as?" she asked in a tone that chilled even Pyrrha to the core.

Cardin's smile seemed to ebb a bit but he stood firm.

"Beautiful, becau-," he started only to get cut off when Weiss pulled him down so that he would be eye level with her.

"Let me make two things clear to you: One, I am not interested now nor will ever be and two, you will refer to me as Miss Schnee failure to do so will result in my glyphs becoming very acquainted with you, _understand_?"

The poor boy looked like he was going to wet his pants as he nodded frantically. Weiss huffed before shoving Cardin away.

"Good, dismissed."

Cardin didn't need to be told twice as he sought to put as much distance between him and Weiss as he could. Pyrrha would have laughed at the situation if it weren't for the fact that everybody was looking at the group. Jaune chuckled nervously.

"Er… that's a lot of stares… heh… I'll just um… go this way, talk later?"

With that Jaune walked off in a direction. Weiss sighed in frustration before walking off another direction grumbling to herself. Blake had already disappeared. This left Pyrrha alone again but for some reason she didn't feel as sad as she should have. For some reason something told her that she would be seeing a lot more of those three in the future. Despite that she couldn't help but feel a bit of resentment towards Cardin for interrupting their moment…

Okay… maybe dislike is a better word… or loathing… or… you know what she hated that stupid little piece of-.

Ding.

**"This is your captain speaking we are now beginning our descent, and we, the crew, would like to personally wish you luck on you future endeavors as Remnant's future protectors, welcome to Beacon."**


	3. The First Step

**Chapter 2: The First Step**

_ "C'mon son I know you can do this, you're my flesh and blood for crying out loud!"_

_ "I'm trying dad, I'm trying!"_

_ "No you're not! All of your ancestors including me have would have already been learning the advanced steps, but you aren't even handling the basics!"_

_ "I'm sorry dad, but I'm really trying I swear!"_

_ "Words aren't enough Jaune, a true Arc backs them with his actions, something that you're no enforcing by not actually trying!"_

_ "But I am dad!"_

_ "Julius, that's enough, he's weak at the knees!"_

_ "No! He's faking it, it's lazy and doesn't want to accept the mantle of the warrior he's meant to be!"_

_ "Julius!"_

_ "…Very well, I was getting sick of this anyway, go to your room Jaune and get yourself cleaned up."_

_ "Dad…"_

_ "If you won't take up your mantle, then you'll be a disgrace to this family and nothing more, perhaps this will force you to actually give this a better effort."_

_ "But-"_

"-I really am trying…"

Jaune slowly opened his eyes to a dimmed hall with the hints of sunlight shinning through the windows. Jaune closed his eyes and took a deep breath to control his emotions. The pain of his childhood still made it into his dreams from time to time during his quest to become stronger and every time it would leave Jaune waking up with tears ready to cascade down his face.

_"An Arc never cries, remember this well my son, we can't be allowed to show weakness to our enemies!"_

Jaune snorted softly at that.

_Then I guess that I'm everything an Arc shouldn't be am I right?_

He shook his head and sat up with a heavy sigh. Soon memories of the events that occurred the previous day returned to him slowly but surely. He remembered his unruly journey from the forests of Vale to the cityscape where he then boarded the metal deathtrap that would make him painfully aware of his airsickness and also introduce him to what he hoped to be lasting friends…

_Well that was the plan until that Cardin… that stupid… that moth-… gah just… gah!_

Jaune turned his head to glare reproachfully at the said boy sleeping at the other side of the boy's side of the hall. It was because of him that Jaune and his potential friends scattered into different directions. He caught glimpses of them during his journey towards the auditorium, but couldn't get close enough to strike up a conversation with them.

The only sort of interaction he had was with Blake but it was only meeting her eyes from across the ballroom where all the first years would sleep while she was reading a book in the candlelight and while he simply polished an old harmonica that he found in the basement of his house. The moment didn't last very long, but it was meaningful enough as they shared a simple smile before returning to what they were doing. Well, Jaune did, Blake unfortunately had to deal with the two sisters that decided they had to introduce themselves to her. Jaune chuckled at the memory.

_I'm pretty sure she neglected finishing her book after that._

Jaune stole a glance over to where he last saw Blake only to be disappointed when he saw that she wasn't there. He sighed.

_Well, I'm awake, might as well get ready before the crowds appear._

With that thought in mind, Jaune slowly got up, picked up his things and tiptoed past all of the sleeping students until he made it outside the ballroom. He then headed to the adjacent bathroom to change his clothes and brush his teeth, something that he didn't really get to do for the past two years of living in the wild; he was surprised that he didn't have cavities. Something else that Jaune didn't have during those two years was hot water. Whenever he bathed it was in the freezing cold water of a nearby lake or river so the shower he took last night felt like heaven.

_Not that there's anything wrong with the wilderness, it's just that I enjoy that warm water feeling from time to time._

After Jaune thoroughly cleaned his mouth and woke himself up more, he made his way to the lockers where all of the weapons and armor were stored. He quickly took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read the contents, which happened to be detailed directions to his locker.

_"An Arc doesn't need directions nor does he need a plan, all he needs his confidence and charisma!"_

Jaune rolled his eyes as his father's words rang through his head.

_And yet again your advice comes up short._

Shaking his head Jaune followed his notes and found his locker in record time. He quickly tossed his meager possessions in and changed into his combat gear taking his time to make sure everything was in place. He then picked up his bow and quiver of arrows, strapping them to their proper places. The last thing he took out was Crocea Mors, his faithful companion since the day it was bestowed upon him.

Jaune paused to admire the handiwork of his predecessor, Elias Arc. This sword was probably the closest thing Jaune had to a friend throughout his life. It was something that made Jaune feel safe but not overly smothered like his mother tended to do. It never ridiculed him or called him a failure like his father did. It was the reason why Jaune decided to meet his destiny by forging his own path.

"We've come pretty far together… haven't we?" Jaune murmured as he held the sword before him reverently.

The sword of course didn't respond, but this didn't dissuade Jaune as he smiled at it.

"And we'll be going even further and we'll show my windbag of a father and clingy mother that I'm a worthy descendent of the Arc family."

At that Jaune's smile ebbed a bit as memories of his past started to resurface again before he forced them back down again through gritted teeth.

_Damn it, stop wallowing in the past, focus on now, on forging that new future._

Jaune thought back to the last sentence of Ozpin's speech to the new students:

"_It is up to you to take the first step."_

_"I don't know why I try, you'll never be able to make progress at this rate."_

Jaune felt himself wince at that. Despite all the time he had spent trying to better himself away from the suffocating expectation of his family, his father's words still held their sting. Jaune took a deep breath before strapping Crocea Mors onto his waist and shutting his locker.

_Enough, perhaps a warm-up will do me good, but where to actually do it…_

Jaune pondered this as he wandered outside where he spotted a vast, open field over-looking what Jaune presumed was Emerald Forest.

_This'll do nicely…_

* * *

Blake had woken up earlier than the rest of the students out of a habit that was ingrained within her during her time in the White Fang. With the constant need to be alert at all times, operation off minimal amount of sleep was something that Blake was accustomed to. She had quickly exited the ballroom and made her way to the rooftop of the building where she could enjoy the morning breeze and enjoy one of her books. As she read, Blake couldn't help but reminisce the moments after she had met Jaune, Pyrrha, and Weiss.

After that arrogant prick's interruption, Blake immediately blended back into the crowd after seeing all the unwanted attention that was pointed at the group. She felt bad for ditching her newfound friends like that, but she wasn't really the best at dealing with big crowds… then again she really wasn't all that used to being seen at all. This brought Blake's thoughts to a certain moment of eye contact with Jaune in the ballroom.

When their eyes met Blake found herself wanting to speak to the boy again like they had in the dust plane, something that she had never felt with anyone else during her time with the White Fang, even Adam didn't have this type of effect on her. Unfortunately she had to settle with a simple smile in his direction and hoping that it would be enough and to her relief a similar smile was given in response before they went back to their own affairs…

_Well, I at least tried to…_

Blake felt her ears twitch in irritation at the memory of Yang and Ruby pestering her with questions in attempts to be her friend. This would have gone on for a while if it weren't for Weiss stomping over to drill it in that others were trying to sleep. This allowed Blake to slip out of sight, but not before sending a grateful look Weiss' way to which the young heiress simply waved off as no big deal.

_Who would have thought that I would befriend a Schnee._

This thought caused Blake to smile a little before it faded almost immediately after as she subconsciously reached up and touched her bow.

_Would she be able to see me the same way if I were to reveal I was a faunus?_

Blake immediately shook her head.

_No, I've had this bow on for most of my life and I've hidden my true nature well, so this shouldn't be a problem._

"_I wove this bow for you so that you won't have to deal with those mean people so much, but don't rely on it too much, for you can't keep it a secret forever."_

Blake bit her lip as Margaret's words echoed in her head. She knew that those words held truth within them, but that didn't settle the fear that was settled within her gut. How would Weiss react if she saw her faunus traits? What would Pyrrha and Jaune think? Blake sighed and closed her eyes.

_Why am I so afraid of how _they_ will react? I've only just met them!_

Yet even as Blake thought this she already knew why. These were the first people that she actually felt she could somewhat open up to… Not to the point of sharing her darkest secrets, but at least to rely on for company… something that she felt she needed in her life even if she never really accepted that fact.

"Yes, this'll do just fine."

The sound of a familiar voice reaching her sensitive cat ears immediately put Blake on high alert. She quickly scanned the grounds below her and was surprise to spot Jaune in his combat gear making his way towards the ledge while loosening up his arms.

_I wonder what he's doing up so early…_

Blake closed her book having lost interest in favor of observing the blonde boy below her. She watched as he stopped at spot he deemed comfortable before he set down his weapons and started performing a series of stretches. Blake could only marvel at how flexible the boy and wondered what fighting style would come with such a trait.

_That's not the only reason you noticed how flexible he is._

Blake felt her cheeks heat up a bit at the stray thought as she immediately dismissed it with an angry huff. She then watched as Jaune began a basic workout routine giving her the impression that the boy was simply warming up his muscles in preparation for the initiation that was fast approaching. Blake reluctantly looked away from the boy in favor of looking towards the forest.

_I wonder if the rumors about this initiation are true._

Blake hummed to herself before she looked back down at Jaune only to see that he was sitting in a meditative position.

_ Huh… never thought he'd be the type to meditate._

After a few more moments of watching Blake suddenly started to feel weird for staring at the boy like some creepy stalker. The other times she had done this, the person that she was stalking usually met their end by her own blade or another member of the White Fang's.

_You said you were going to move on from that._

Blake wilted a bit at that thought suddenly feeling incredibly guilty for doing what she was doing.

_I should stop this… spying on a guy that could potentially be a friend like an assassination target is not the best way to go about things._

_ Why don't you talk to him instead?_

Blake froze at the stray thought. Talk to him? Blake slowly looked back down at the boy below. Blake had never been one to initiate a conversation. Sure she could follow one and make comments in passing, but to actually be the one to start a conversation was something that was never done by her and frankly that scared her.

_But Beacon was to be a chance to atone to Margaret and a good way to start is by getting friends and socializing like she would have wanted you to._

Blake perked up at the idea, but immediately shrunk more.

_I… I don't know…_

_What is with the hesitation? Why does making a friend scare you so much? Don't you hate being alone?_

Blake squeezed her eyes shut as her own subconscious drove her into a corner with questions that she had no answers for.

_Enough, I can't think about this now… I've got to make my own preparations for the initiation._

Blake got up and started to dust herself off in preparation to leave.

_ "It is a lonely life without people you can trust, Blake… I learned that the hard way. Promise me that you won't make the same mistake I did… I do not wish the same fate on you."_

Blake paused at the memory before she sighed deeply and continued on. Had she not been so engrossed in her thoughts, she would have noticed a certain redhead watching her.

* * *

Weiss opened her eyes as her inner clock automatically woke her to start the day, something that unfortunately came with having a set schedule for most of her life. She sighed as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She then took in her surroundings to see only a select few students starting to get up as well, the rest were still sound asleep.

_Well, at least I won't have to deal with much attention in the morning._

Weiss stood up and stretched before picking up her clothes and making her way to the bathroom. During her trip she eyed the students that were starting to stir hoping to spot any of her three new friends, but alas they were nowhere to be seen.

_If I didn't want to castrate that brute before, I sure as hell do now._

Weiss let out another sigh as she thought back to the events after she had showed the said brute his place. After Jaune and Blake broke away from the group, Weiss felt her anger at the brute only escalate and so, not wanting Pyrrha to feel the brunt of it, she stormed off towards her attendants that were seeing to her many suitcases of dust that she had brought with her.

The mood didn't cease for a while and unfortunately was still palpable when a certain Rose toppled into her suitcases causing Weiss to blow up on the poor girl and then cause them both to actually blow up when she shook a bottle of dust in front of her. This only proved to make Weiss' mood worse causing the poor red to suffer her icy wrath. It was only after Ruby scampered off that Weiss started feeling a little guilty for how she was acting, but it still didn't get rid of her frustration towards the brute. For the rest of the evening Weiss kept an eye out for any of her friends, but didn't even catch a glimpse of any of them until one moment when the first year students had gathered at the ballroom to sleep.

Weiss was about ready to drift off when sudden commotion brought her right back out of it. When she irritably looked for what the source was she was unsurprised when she had discovered that it was Yang and Ruby causing the commotion in a childish brawl. Her irritation disappeared, however, when she caught sight of Blake sitting nearby trying to read a book but failing miserably to with the commotion in front of her. Weiss took it upon herself to help a friend in need by marching up to the girls and berating them for the noise they were making. Blake took the opportunity to slink away, but not before sending a grateful look her way giving Weiss a warm feeling even as she subtly waved it off as no big deal. It felt good to help a friend and it was something that Weiss wished to do whenever Blake needed it and it also extended to Jaune and Pyrrha as well. Weiss allowed a soft smile to light up her features.

_Now I understand why Winter pushed for me to make friends…_

"_Mother wouldn't have wanted you to be lonely, she would have wanted you to be able to make friends!"_

Weiss' smile slowly faded at the memory. Already she was starting to miss her sister and her advice that she cherished so dearly. Weiss felt guilty for leaving Winter alone with their father, but Winter had immediately moved to dissuade such thoughts when Weiss told this to her.

"_Don't worry about me Weiss, I can hold my own against Father, you go and fulfill your dreams, I'm sure mother is looking down at you with a smile on her face."_

So engrossed in her thoughts was Weiss that she didn't notice that she was in a collision course with a fellow student that was walking out of the bathrooms until the said person grabbed her shoulders in order to keep the said collision from happening. Weiss immediately drew herself out her thoughts and immediately put a reproachful guise before looking up to give the person what for… only for it to disappear when she saw a familiar pair of green emerald eyes staring back at her.

"Good morning to you Weiss," said Pyrrha with an amused smile.

Weiss smiled back.

"And to you too Pyrrha," she said before realizing that she had almost run into her causing her to flush, "And sorry for almost running into you."

Pyrrha simply smiled disarmingly.

"Oh don't worry about that, I'm sure we have all had our stumbles after just waking up."

Weiss couldn't help but giggle a bit at that.

"I suppose you're right."

It was then Weiss realized that she was holding up the Spartan girl in front of the bathroom entrance.

"O-Oh but don't let me get in your way if you're headed somewhere," she said hurriedly.

Pyrrha blinked before smiling again.

"Don't worry about it, I was just heading towards the lockers to change into my armor so I can get some warm-ups in before initiation."

Suddenly Pyrrha's looked up in thought before smiling again at Weiss.

"How about we go together after you're done with the restroom?"

Weiss smiled at that.

"I'd like that…" she started before she realized something, "But I take an awful long time getting prepared I wouldn't want you to-."

"It is no trouble at all," interrupted Pyrrha was her smile still place, but Weiss also detected a bit of urgency within her voice.

_Was I imagining that?_

Weiss shook her head and nodded at Pyrrha.

"Then I'll be out as soon as I can."

With that Weiss made her way into the bathroom in order to ready herself for the day ahead excitement about the about the prospect of at least being able to interact with one of her three friends causing her to work faster than normal.

_Beacon may be my chance to get my father to recognize me as an equal, but it also seems to be my chance at allowing my mother's soul to rest at ease._

Weiss looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw not a cold girl that had herself closed off to the world, but rather a hopeful girl who was finally starting to see that life wasn't as bad as it originally seemed.

_Are you watching mother? I'm going to make sure to live a good life in your memory just like I promised Winter._

Weiss allowed a faint smile to appear on her face before an image of her father's sneering face caused her smile to fade away making it appear as if it was never there.

_At least that's what I'll try my best to do..._

The heiress shook her head of those negative thoughts.

_Enough, Pyrrha's waiting for me._

With that thought Weiss continued on with her morning routine.

* * *

Pyrrha let out the breath that she didn't know that she was holding. Her anxiety was understandable given the fact that she didn't get to see any of her newly acquired friends all thanks to that… well you get the idea.

_I hope I didn't come off as desperate._

Pyrrha was also disappointed to find that in order to hide her anxiety she automatically defaulted to her practiced smile.

_I'm gonna have to work on this as we get further down the road._

The Spartan sighed as she leaned against the wall next to the entrance and recalled her turmoil the previous evening.

After everyone had split off Pyrrha felt lost, but for the first time she felt a small sense of hope that perhaps things would finally start looking up. That thought alone kept Pyrrha from losing her sanity right then and there. This didn't, however, stop the anxiety that spawned within her and continued to grow like a tumor with every passing moment of not seeing any of them after the dust plane had landed. By the time everybody was getting ready for bed she was at the point of depression (which was of course hidden behind her fake smile).

Pyrrha had woken up early the next morning in order to do her usual morning exercises before facing the rest of the day and of course the feeling of melancholy was still present even as she went to the bathroom to stare at herself in the mirror. So it was a **very** thrilling change of pace when one of the individuals plaguing her mind almost ran into her on her way out of the bathroom.

"Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha shook herself from her thoughts and looked to her side to see Weiss dressed in the dress she had seen her wearing on the dust plane. Pyrrha smiled at her.

"Shall we?" she asked.

Weiss returned the smile and the two started off towards the lockers where their weapons were stored. As they walked there was silence, as Pyrrha had no idea what to say to Weiss now that she was there and apparently the heiress was having the same dilemma. Suddenly Weiss cleared her throat causing Pyrrha to look over at her. When Weiss noticed Pyrrha's eyes on her she flushed a bit.

"E-er sorry, it's a habit I have when… well…"

"When you're feeling awkward?" supplied Pyrrha with a knowing smile.

Weiss closed her mouth and nodded sheepishly.

"It's quite alright, we've only just met, I've been told friendships take time to be fully realized," said Pyrrha thinking back on what her mother had told her before Pyrrha Nikos was a normal name like every other.

Pyrrha forced the sense of wistfulness that threatened to bubble up back down within her as she kept her attention upon the heiress before her. The said girl had a rather wistful smile of her own on her face.

"Friendship…" she whispered so softly that Pyrrha almost missed it, "I guess it will take me a while to get used to that concept…"

Pyrrha watched as Weiss slowly started to drift of into another realm, most likely remembering something from her past. Pyrrha didn't pry, however, everyone had their secrets to keep, but she hoped that maybe someday they could share those secrets together without fear surrounded by people that they trusted. Pyrrha almost laughed at the thought.

_I almost feel like a naïve little girl again… it feels oddly gratifying._

With that Pyrrha and Weiss continued on once again in silence but this silence was not one of awkwardness but one of content. When the girls reached the lockers they separated agreeing to meet with one another at Pyrrha's locker when they were both ready.

Upon reaching her locker Pyrrha opened it and pulled out her trusted partner of her own creation: Milo, the xiphos/rifle/javelin hybrid of her design. This was one of the few accomplishments that Pyrrha actually felt genuinely happy about. Sure it got her some extra attention later, but it was one of the few things that helped Pyrrha keep her sanity in check through out those suffocating years behind a plastic face. Pyrrha sighed as she sheathed the weapon away before taking out Milo's ever-loyal partner: Akouo. This shield was another thing that Pyrrha cherished throughout the years, as it was a memento of the times before Pyrrha's fame. This was the shield that Pyrrha and her father forged together when he was teaching her how to forge. She loved her father and mother so much and back then they loved her back… but do they still love her now?

Suddenly Pyrrha was brought back to the scene when she, Jaune, Blake, and Weiss were standing in a circle with their hands in and idiotic smiles on their faces. And just like that she was brought out of her melancholy.

_That's right… I have new friends now…_

Pyrrha looked out of the window next to her locker with a small smile on her face only to blink in surprise when she spotted a familiar black bow nestled up on the head of a girl sitting on the roof of a nearby building. Pyrrha didn't know how Blake managed to get there nor why, but it was still good to know that she was still around. Yet, Pyrrha noticed the rather far-off look that Blake held, as if she were lost in thought. Pyrrha couldn't tell what emotions were going through the other girl's head due to the distance, but it seemed that Blake was burdened by a something.

Pyrrha slowly turned towards where Blake was staring and was again pleasantly surprised when she spotted Jaune sitting in a meditative position with his back turned to the school. Despite how peaceful he looked, however, Pyrrha noticed the gloomy expression on his deceptively calm face as if a heavy burden was resting upon his shoulders.

"Hello again Pyrrha."

Pyrrha turned her head and saw Weiss walking up to her with a beautiful sword strapped to her waist. Pyrrha remembered the far off look Weiss had not too long ago. One that only belonged on somebody who felt lost.

_When I look at each of them… I see something real… people who are just as lonely as me…_

Pyrrha felt determination swell from within her.

_And I will make sure to ease their loneliness… as well as my own…_

With that Pyrrha brought herself back to the real world to see Weiss with a look of concern on her face. Pyrrha immediately put a smile on her face in order to hide her inner thoughts out of instinct causing her to mentally sigh.

_But I guess these things take time..._

But at least she had an idea of what she wanted to strive for, that had to count for something... right?


	4. A Push from Fate

**Ch. 3: A Push from Fate**

_Blue skies… white clouds… moving trees at the bottom… huh… ya know this ain't half bad without a metal prison to sit in…_

Jaune was currently soaring through the air as a human projectile over Emerald Forest. Why was this? Well let's just say that Professor Ozpin had an interesting way of testing the new initiates to Beacon and leave it at that. Jaune had reserves being launched into the air by a simple metal platform, but once it happened Jaune found that the journey was quite enjoyable. Jaune looked ahead of him and saw his fellow hunters and huntresses in training readying themselves to land in their own respective ways.

_Oh right… landing…_

Jaune blinked took on a thoughtful expression.

_How exactly am I going to do this?_

Jaune continued to ponder this as his flight started to near its end, the trees below getting closer at an alarming rate.

_Maybe I should use my shield as a battering ram for the trees?_

A bird squawked in alarm as Jaune flew right past it.

_Or perhaps I can do something fancy and use the power of momentum and acrobatics?_

Jaune could probably touch the trees whizzing by.

_Ah screw it._

BAM! CRASH! SNAP! BOOM!

Jaune calmly got up and dusted himself off before surveying the damage behind him. Several trees were mangled or torn apart and there was also the sizable crater that Jaune was standing in.

_Well, that went well. Thank you aura!_

Jaune chuckled to himself before looking around.

_So now it time to find a partner._

_ "The first person that you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years."_

Jaune's thoughts immediately turned to three certain individuals he desperately hoped it was any of them. Jaune shook his head.

_Focus Jaune you're in enemy territory now. Time to put your years of training in the wilderness to use._

With that Jaune walked into the forest keeping a sharp eye out for anything that may want to cause him harm. As he trekked he began hearing the sound of gunfire and shouting giving him the clear indication that several of his classmates had engaged the enemy.

_Hope they'll be alright._

**"Grrrr."**

Jaune stopped short, his expression stoic. He found himself in a small clearing, the sun's light twinkling down from overhead. The perfect spot for an ambush… and a perfect spot to fight. Jaune slowly allowed a smile to enter his features.

"Well now, are we going to stand around all day?" Jaune called into the forest at seemingly nothing, "Or are we going to fight?"

The response he got were six beowolves leaping out of the brushes and charging at him from all sides. Time slowed as Jaune grabbed the handle of Crocea Mors and crouched low before channeling the aura that he had been building up into his sword and swinging it around in a full 360 degree swing. A spiral of power burst from the sword as it swung around stopping the attack of the beowolves short and stunning them momentarily. That moment was all Jaune needed as he quickly charged the beowolf in front of him and sliced its head off before sheathing Crocea Mors again, spinning on his heel and staring down the rest of the pack.

"Sorry chaps but you're going to have to do better than that."

The beowolves growled in response before two of them charged in from the sides hoping to catch the young hunter off guard, but Jaune was ready for them. He smirked before unsheathed his sword and sliced one of the attacking beowolves while at the same time he tossed his sheath out behind him and kicking it at the other beowolf. The beowolf Jaune attacked with the sword was cut in half while the other was met with a surprisingly heavy sheath in the face only for it to turn into a shield on impact blocking its view of its prey momentarily. It regained its bearings just in time for it to see a blade in the process of hacking its head off, then it saw no more. Jaune returned his shield to sheath form and once again sheathed his sword before returning his attention to the remaining beowolves.

"So, who's next?" he asked with a bored expression on his face.

The beowolves looked at one another as if unsure if they wanted to pursue this prey. Jaune smirked at this; if they were wise they'd run while they still had the chance. Suddenly the beowolf in the middle growled at Jaune in challenge, the other two hesitated before joining their comrade. Jaune sighed at that.

"I see, so you're still young and inexperienced," he muttered.

The beowolves charged at Jaune in a reckless frontal assault; the definition of a desperate sortie. Jaune however made no move to get into his usual combat position.

"It's a shame really…" Jaune continued.

Right when the beowolves were about to pounce upon the lone hunter there was a white flash. Suddenly Jaune was behind the beowolves with his back turned and his sword out. The beowolves stood frozen with widened eyes.

"That you won't be learning from your mistake."

Right as Jaune finished his sentence the beowolves seemed to collapse into small particles of dust to be blown away in the wind. Jaune sheathed his sword as he admired his handiwork for a few moments.

"Right then!" he suddenly said spinning on his heels toward a random direction, "Time to find a partner!"

With that announced Jaune strode off in the direction he chose hoping that it was a star-

**"Hissssssssss."**

Jaune stopped short before slumping in defeat.

"Aw c'mon… I just finished being a badass too…"

With that Jaune turned his head lazily over towards a looming figure behind him. It appeared to be a giant snake with two heads with one of them being white while the other was black.

_A King Taijitu… wonderful._

Jaune grumbled incoherently as he prepared to fight this new foe.

Bang! Squelch!

**"HISSSSSSSS!"**

Jaune blinked as the white head of the King Taijitu hissed in pain as blood squirted out of its left eye while the black head searched for the assailant.

_That was a shot from a rifle and it was a well-aimed shot if I'd say so myself._

Right as Jaune was mentioning it, another crack of the same gun rang out this time striking the black head in the right eye causing it to thrash about in pain and anger. Not even fazed about how close he was to the close-to-rampaging creature, Jaune spotted the opening that was created for him. Whoever took the shots was setting him up for an easy kill. In Jaune's experience King Taijitu were formidable due to the fact that they were extremely agile and quick in combat despite their massive size, but they had one fact about them that was always present: the white head was always on the right side and the black head was always on the left.

_This leaves a huge blind spot against opponents who use a frontal assault… clever._

Jaune smirked before swiftly charging the creature right as it was starting to regain its bearings. He gathered aura in his legs and leapt in between the heads right into that blind spot. The reaction was immediate as the two heads went to bite the assailant… only to smash into one another. Jaune quickly changed his trajectory, kicking of tree trunks until he was flying at the black head. With a swift slash of his sword the black head was decapitated causing the body to fall over. Jaune landed gracefully before turning towards the other head just in time to see a rounded shield slice the head clean off. Jaune watched as the shield do a round about and fly back to where it came from which so happened to be the arm of a familiar redhead. Jaune smiled as a pair of familiar bright emeralds met his own deep ocean blues.

"Well I have to say that was executed quite well wouldn't you say so, partner?" he asked jokingly.

The response he got was a lofty giggle.

"Yes it was quite flawless," answered Pyrrha with a smile of her own.

* * *

Blake's ears twitched at the sound of gunfire causing her to look towards the sky. The joined hisses of pain from a Grimm joined the noise allowing Blake to discern that whoever was fighting at the moment was winning or at least trading some good blows with the enemy. Blake immediately refocused on her own objective: to find a partner. Blake sincerely hoped that it would be Jaune, Pyrrha or Weiss, but she also knew that in a situation such as this, things tend not to fall into the participant's favor.

Suddenly Blake stopped short. Her eyes narrowed slightly and her ears perked up in high alert. An aura of eeriness settled around Blake as she kept her senses on the look out for the enemy. It was quiet… too quiet… Suddenly a beowolf leapt out of a nearby bush hoping to gain the element of surprise, but Blake was one step ahead of it, quickly spinning on her heels and blocking in the incoming strike with the sword portion of Gambol Shroud. Blake quickly jumped back from the beowolf to gain some distance only to realize that she was now surrounded by what looked to be at least a dozen beowolves. Blake wasn't fazed by this fact and calmly brandished the sheath-blade portion of Gambol Shroud in her other hand while analyzing the situation before her.

_Five in front, three in back, two at each flank. Target type: Grimm. Beowolf. _

The beowolf that attacked Blake growled at her as the four behind it started to spread out to block any chance of escape.

_Target at forefront, noticeably bigger than others, adult, male, experienced._

Blake's ears flicked left when she heard rustling from behind. She immediately crouched down while swinging Gambol Shroud overhead. The feeling and sound of her blades meeting flesh along with the howl of pain told Blake all she needed to know. The dead beowolf landed in heap beside her as she continued to look at the leader.

_Visible effect on rest of pack but not leader most likely only source of moral._

Suddenly a small smile graced Blake's features.

_Target acquired._

In an instant Blake was on the pack leader's back. The Grimm didn't even have a chance to cry out in surprise before its head was removed from its shoulder's by both of Blake's blades. Blake had disappeared into the shadows long before the body fell to the ground. The rest of the pack stood in shock for a moment as they stared at the body of their dead leader. This proved to be a mistake when another beowolf fell over headless. This caused shock to turn into panicked disarray as the pack was taken out one by one by the assailant that was meant to be their prey.

Soon there was only one beowolf left. It stood in the middle of the battleground, its comrades' bodies littered all around it as it searched desperately for the assailant. Ironically, it stood at the exact spot that Blake was standing not too long ago. The unfortunate lone survivor didn't get a chance to realize this as a black blade protruded out of its chest before it could so much as blink. Suddenly Blake was in front of the beowolf with her back turned. It fell over as life began to fade from it, joining its pack mates in the void.

_All targets neutralized._

Blake took a deep breath as she took herself out of "assassin mode" as Adam jokingly used to dub it. It was state of mind that Blake always seemed to fall into whenever she was on a mission for the White Fang. Her superiors called her a natural and many of her comrades nicknamed her the "Shadow Blade". At the time she was proud of the title and the praise, but now… Blake shook her head of those thoughts.

_Enough, I can't wallow on the past at this time._

It was then that Blake realized too late that a stray beowolf was currently in the process of pouncing upon her while she wasn't paying attention. The faunus girl found herself on her back staring into the angry red eyes of the Grimm. Blake clicked her tongue in annoyance.

_Damn it._

She readied herself to escape the situation she found herself in only to rear back in surprise when the beowolf was sent flying off of her by a light blue ball of energy and stuck to a tree where ice incased it. Blake spun her head over to the attacker and to her delight she spotted a familiar heiress standing there with her rapier brandished.

"It's a good thing I arrived when I did," said Weiss as she sheathed her sword, "You looked like you were in a tight spot."

Blake looked to the side.

"I… had it handled."

Whether Weiss noticed the hesitation or not was unknown, but the heiress didn't say anything about it so Blake was grateful for that. The said heiress surveyed the carnage around them.

"Well, I suppose this means we're partners and from what I'm seeing I can't help but be satisfied."

Blake allowed a small smirk at this.

"Thank you."

Suddenly the sound of more gunfire caused the two huntresses in training to spin towards the source.

"It seems like more of our classmates have found trouble," stated Weiss.

"Indeed," agreed Blake.

A loud shriek caused the girls turn only to spot a rather large black bird flying towards them at high speed. The girls stared at the incoming danger before looking at each other with deadpanned looks.

"From the look of that monster is seems that we have as well."

"Mhm."

* * *

Weiss hissed in annoyance as she and her newly acquired partner fled through the shrubbery of Emerald Forest. Above them, a large raven-like Grimm, known to many as the Nevermore, flew after them. Sure Weiss expected there to be some sort of a challenge in the initiation sequence when she applied to Beacon, but she honestly didn't expect a Grimm of such a caliber to be unleashed upon the hunters and huntresses in training.

_Well on the bright side, at least I'm partnered with somebody who I won't mind sharing the next four years with._

"So do you have any ideas how to deal with the problem quite literally hovering over our heads?" quipped the said partner from beside her as they both leapt over a fallen tree.

"Well while the trees are providing necessary cover, Nevermores are as relentless as they are powerful meaning we can't stay in cover forever, we'll have to try and find high ground were we can take it on even grounds so to speak," answered Weiss, "However, this also unfortunately means we'll have to go out into the open again."

The raven-haired girl hummed at that no doubt coming to the same conclusion as her. Weiss looked left and right as she tried to find a general place of where they were, but everywhere she looked was more trees for what seemed like miles.

"Another unfortunate fact is that we're running blind," muttered Weiss internally cursing her poor navigational skills.

Growing up in a privileged environment where you had servants who memorized the layouts of certain areas for you really didn't help in that department either.

"If we keep heading this direction we should come across a big clearing," answered the girl beside her.

Weiss blinked before turning her head to look at the girl beside her.

"How did you-?" she started.

"I scouted this area before I met up with you."

Weiss closed her mouth at that before she allowed a small chuckle to escape her lips.

"Good to know that you've got everything planned out."

"Hmm."

Weiss refocused her attention on where she was running. Suddenly she felt tension coming from the girl beside her.

"Grimm up ahead," warned Weiss' accomplice as she started to slow her speed.

Weiss however didn't slow.

"Leave this to me," she said.

Without slowing her momentum, Weiss activated a glyph in front of her and as she stepped on it she fluidly transitioned from running to skating on her glyphs as she drew Myrtenaster. As she slid the enemy that Blake warned her about came into view. Two ursa in an intercept course, running directly at her: perfect. Weiss smirked as she sped forward to meet the enemy.

_Fools. You don't realize that you have doomed yourselves._

With precision and swiftness, Weiss struck her blows before continuing on. Both ursa froze where they were before dropping dead with five puncture holes in each. One near each limb and one where the heart was. To the normal onlooker it looked as if Weiss simply skated right past the Ursa and they just fell dead, but to the seasoned eye the true weight of the heiress' skill was shown with how quickly she found her marks and made her strikes dead onto where she wanted. First the frontal limbs to prevent retaliation, second the hind limbs to further be sure of this and finally a precise strike to the heart to ensure the swift death of the enemy. As Weiss slid on, she sensed her partner had hopped down from the trees to run beside her.

"An impressive display," the girl commented.

Weiss smirked at that.

"Thank you."

"Unfortunately we still have our friend in the air to deal with."

Weiss flicked her eyes up and behind her only to confirm that the Nevermore was indeed still tailing them, screeching as it flew along. She sighed in annoyance.

"I know I said that Nevermores are relentless, but would it ever kill me to be wrong for once?" she lamented.

A chuckle escaped from the raven-haired.

"Unfortunately life is a very fickle mistress when it comes to things like that," she joked with an almost bitter edge to it.

Weiss couldn't help but relate to the pessimistic comment, but shook it off when she realized something.

"I never actually caught your name," she said.

Another chuckle sounded.

"Quite the time for that statement."

Weiss allowed mirth to show on her features as well at the ridiculousness of it. Here she was with somebody who was still very much a stranger in social terms running for her life from an angry B-Classed Grimm and her largest concern was the name of her comrade.

"It's Blake, Blake Belladonna."

"Weiss Schnee, incase you already didn't know," answered Weiss.

"Pleasure to be running for my life with you Miss Schnee."

"Likewise."

* * *

"Remind me to never say 'What can possibly go wrong' ever again!"

Pyrrha could only silently agree to the statement as she sprinted along side her partner with a large, scorpion shaped Grimm hot on their heels. A Death Stalker to be precise: heavily armored all along its body with its only weakness being its un-armored belly and lack of intelligence. Now you're probably wondering what caused this particular situation? Well let's just say there was a lapse of judgment from a certain outdoor survivalist and a seasoned champion that led to the two walking into a tunnel that clearly warned of an ancient danger, thus this result.

_I guess even I can succumb to the tempting lure of adventure…_

The sheepish thought had Pyrrha blushing a bit in embarrassment before stealing a glance at her partner. Jaune had held a look of urgency on his face, which was to be expected given their situation, but it also held a bit of annoyance most likely towards the situation as well. Still, Pyrrha couldn't help the feeling of guilt bubbling up from her chest, as this was partially her fault. So she blurted the only thing that she could think of in the spur of the moment.

"I'm sorry!"

_Gee, A+ for originality Nikos._

Pyrrha dampened a bit at venomous words of her subconscious, but the answer from her partner was a far cry from it.

"Don't worry about it Pyr! Everybody makes mistakes and it was also my fault for even thinking of heading in there," he stated, "It's even worse for me because I've been living out in the wilderness for a while so for me to ignore such an obvious warning sign is pretty idiotic on my part!"

With that said, Jaune threw big grin Pyrrha's way that seemed to erase all the negative feelings that she felt. Suddenly Jaune whipped his head forward causing Pyrrha to do the same just in time to see yet another pack of beowolves moving to cut them off. Wasting no time, Pyrrha drew Milo and Akouo from her back and took more of a combat ready poise as she ran. Beside her, she heard Jaune draw his own sword.

"I'll take on half you take the other?" he asked.

"Sure," stated Pyrrha before slamming Akouo into the nearest Grimm.

The beowolf stumbled backward, stunned, and didn't get a chance to recover as Pyrrha sliced its head clean off with Milo in sword form. Pyrrha then used the momentum of her spin to leap off the ground and perform a spin with her body horizontal to the ground as she shifted Milo to rifle form and shot another two incoming beowolves in the head on her first spin. On her second she shift Milo to javelin form and threw it at a third beowolf that was hoping to catch her midflight. Needless to say it had no such luck as Milo pierced right through its mouth and exited its back as Pyrrha feet met Earth again. Pyrrha then continued to use the momentum she built up to spin on her foot again only to throw Akouo at another charging beowolf. The flying shield slammed into attacker, effectively knocking it unconscious before ricocheting off and doing the same to all the others before returning to Pyrrha's outstretched arm as she held a rather heroic pose.

"Fancy stuff Pyrrha."

Pyrrha jerked her head up to see Jaune smirking down at her with his sword sheathed already having disposed of his targets. Pyrrha flushed at the praise and was about to answer when suddenly the crashing of trees reminded the two of the angry Grimm that was still chasing them.

"And I can't wait to praise you more about that," continued Jaune, "But for now: RUN!"

The two broke off into a sprint once again. Pyrrha gritted her teeth.

_This Grimm seems to be going through many pains to get to us. Rather annoying to be honest._

Suddenly a screech sounded from another direction causing both Pyrrha and Jaune to sigh in annoyance.

"What now?!" grumbled Jaune speaking for both of them.

The answer was a barrage of large feather-like projectiles that lodged themselves into the forest floor like knives while tearing through the trees that got in their way. Pyrrha recognized the feathers immediately.

_Nevermore…_

Pyrrha's dread instantly evaporated, however as two individuals jumped over fallen trees and fell into step next to her and Jaune.

"Well, well, well, fancy meeting you guys here!" chuckled Jaune.

Pyrrha couldn't help but wonder if there was some divine calling at work as the group that she had hoped to meet up with together again had stumbled upon one another by pure chance.

"Too bad it wasn't under better circumstances!" answered Blake.

"Haha, yeah, so how did you end up pissing off an Nevermore?" asked Jaune.

"We didn't really do anything! It just decided to attack off of a whim!" grumbled Weiss.

"That's unfortunate," commented Pyrrha.

Blake nodded in agreement with that statement while Weiss turned to Jaune.

"And how did you two end up in your predicament?" she asked gesturing towards the Death Stalker.

"We kind walked into the cave that it was living in while searching for the relics," stated Jaune sheepishly.

Pyrrha simply coughed awkwardly into her fist.

"Oddly enough I find this situation pretty fitting," said Blake in a rather thoughtful voice.

Pyrrha blinked at the ravenette's comment before thinking about the situation herself and finding that she agreed to it.

_Huh… who knew?_

"So ladies…"

Pyrrha thrown out of her thoughts by Jaune's off-handed comment.

"Would you guys like to get rid of our unwanted fans?" he continued garnering a slight giggles at his joke, "Because I have a plan, an it requires four people."

Pyrrha was surprised at how fast Jaune was able to come up with a plan of action on the fly. Meanwhile Weiss couldn't care less about that fact.

"Really? Well let's hear it then!"

"Alright, but I have to warn you all, it's a bit crazy," he warned with a mischievous smirk on his face.

Instead of looking uncomfortable, both Blake and Weiss seemed to smirk back instead and Pyrrha found herself smirking as well.

"It seems that we all seem to like the idea of crazy, Jaune so lay it out for us," she stated with a genuine smile on her face.

"Alright then…"

* * *

"Hey Yang?" asked Ruby as her sister grabbed a White Knight chess piece from a podium.

Yang looked away from the comical couple consisting of Nora and Ren (with Nora playing with another White Knight piece) towards her sister who was looked towards the forest.

"Watsup Rubes?" she asked.

"Did you hear screeches just now?"

Yang was about to answer, but was cut off when a row of trees were completely unrooted as two massive Grimm came tumbling through before stopping after a bit of sliding. Yang's eyes widened when she identified the two Grimm to be a Nevermore and a Death Stalker respectively, both out of commission for good.

_Who could have..._

"That was by far... the dumbest thing I have ever done."

"Hey it worked didn't it? And I warned you it was crazy."

"Well we did all like the idea of crazy... even though Pyrrha was the one who solidified it."

"I'm sorry!"

Yang and the other three with her could only stare in awe at the four individuals and hopped down from mangled bodies of the two fallen Grimm. There was only one thing that Yang could say that best described this moment.

"...Well... that was a thing..."

* * *

From the cliffs overlooking the forest a certain headmaster smirked into his mug as he started walking back towards the school.


	5. Of Impressions and Goals

**Ch. 4: Of Impressions and Goals**

_"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark, you collected the black bishop pieces and from this day forth you will be known as… team CRDL… lead by Cardin Winchester."_

The students gathered in the room applauded politely at Professor Ozpin's announcement as Cardin swaggered off the stage with a cocky grin on his face. Jaune could only look on in mild amusement.

_Who knew the windbag that tried to hit on Weiss would actually become the leader of his own team? Monty help the poor sods under his command._

Jaune snapped his attention back to the front as he watched another four students walk up to the spotlight.

_"Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Lei Ren, Nora Valkyrie, you collected the White Knight pieces and from this day forth you will be known as… team RRNY…"_

Jaune smirked when he heard those names, he still remembered their reactions after he, Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha took down a Nevermore _and_ a Death Stalker, while walking away unscathed.

_Not to mention looking like total badasses._

Jaune held back a chuckle as he recalled the memory.

_Jaune's heart was still hammering against his chest as the adrenaline continued to rush through his body as he hopped off the carcasses of the dead Grimm._

_ "That was by far… the dumbest thing I've ever done," muttered Weiss who landed beside him._

_ Jaune grinned at her,_

_ "Hey, it worked didn't it?" he retorted in jest, "And I warned you that it was crazy."_

_ Weiss simply rolled her eyes at that. Blake then decided to pitch in._

_ "Well we did all like the idea of crazy… even though Pyrrha was the one who solidified it," she stated before looking at Pyrrha with a teasing smirk._

_ Pyrrha scratched the back of her head sheepishly._

_ "I'm sorry!"_

_ Just then the four realized they weren't alone as in front of them stood four individuals. Jaune suddenly felt tension in the air as he fell back into his less confident, goofy stature and watched at the corner of his eye as the girls did the same with their own respective masks. This saddened Jaune a bit, but he also knew that he wasn't much different than them in that aspect._

This is going to be hell when trust issues arise.

_ Suddenly a familiar girl with short black hair and a red cape sped up to Jaune with grin on her face._

_ "OHMYGOSHTHATWASSOCOOLCANYOUTEACHMEHOWTODOTHAT?!" hollered the girl as she hopped up and down like a hyperactive bunny._

_ Jaune simply laughed nervously at that scratching the back of his head._

_ "Eh… I didn't catch that Ruby, what did you say?" he asked with a goofy grin while on the inside he was scowling at how fake he sounded._

_ Ruby was about to speak again, but her sister dropped a hand on her head and ruffled it causing the girl to squeak in protest._

_ "Calm down little sis, he just finished taking down two B-class Grimm like a badass, give him a break," said Yang before turning to address Jaune's group, "Nice job!"_

_ Jaune scratched the back of his head again._

_ "Well actually _I _didn't take down the Grimm," he corrected before waving his hand towards his comrades, "_We_ took them down although I probably did the least work."_

_ Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked over to see Pyrrha smiling at him._

_ "Don't sell yourself, Jaune we all pulled equal weight in that effort," she said, "You even came up with the plan!"_

_ "A crazy plan, but admittedly effective," stated Weiss as an afterthought._

_ Blake simply nodded her head in encouragement when Jaune looked over at her. Jaune felt his heart warm exponentially at the praise as he rubbed the back of his head with a bright smile on his face._

_ "Aw shucks girls."_

_"Well as lovely as this all is," interjected Blake with an amused smirk, "We should complete our objective."_

_ Jaune nodded in agreement as he took a pair of white rook pieces tossing one over to Weiss who caught it easily._

_ "Mission Complete," he stated with an easy grin._

_ The girls simply giggled at his antics, the four of them completely forgetting about their audience right next to them._

Jaune sighed as he let the memory fade back into his conscious. He truly felt blessed for meeting Blake, Pyrrha, and Weiss, three people who he felt he could truly open up to despite just meeting them.

_ That said… I think we should work on those trust issues with others…_

Jaune shook his head from his inner musings when he noticed Ruby and her team step down from the stage to join the rest of the decided first year teams.

_Damn… I must have missed who got appointed leader._

"It was Ruby who was appointed leader by the way."

Jaune blinked before turning towards Blake who was still looking towards the stage with her stoic mask on her face although he managed to catch the slight twinkle in her eyes. Jaune chuckled.

"Really now? Well the kid may be young but she seems to have a good head on her shoulders," he said.

There were varying sounds of agreement coming from the girls at that statement.

_"Now if our final team would step forward."_

Jaune perked up at Ozpin's voice and immediately stepped up to the center of the stage with his teammates beside him. Ozpin seemed to regard his group a bit longer than the others, but perhaps that was nerves speaking as the man spoke up soon enough.

_"Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos…" _stated Ozpin allowing his voice to trail off a bit before continuing, _"You four collected the white rook pieces and therefore you shall from now on be known as… Team ABSN."_

Jaune almost lifted a brow at that name.

_Team Absent huh?_

Jaune stole a glance at his future teammates from the corner of his eye gauge their reactions only to see the fake expressions plastered onto their respective faces pretty similar to his own.

_I guess the name fits._

Jaune turned his attention back to Ozpin who had once again paused for dramatic effect.

_"Lead by…"_

Another pause.

_"Jaune Arc."_

Jaune blinked. Then blinked again. Then blinked a third time. His face remained absolutely blank as his brain started to register the information that he received via hearing.

_Wait… what?_

Jaune turned his head towards his teammates wondering if he heard right only for it to be confirmed by the rather encouraging looks that the girls were giving him… well Weiss' was a bit mixed, but Jaune was a little too shocked at the moment to truly decipher the expression the heiress was giving him. Jaune turned his head back to the headmaster who held the faintest traces of a smirk on his face.

"Congratulations young man," said Ozpin away from the microphone.

Jaune lowered his head a bit, his hair shadowing his eyes. Suddenly the world seemed to fade away leaving Jaune in the dark recesses of his mind.

_**Well, well, well made leader of a team at Beacon eh? Don't screw it up!**_

Jaune didn't react when he heard that venomous voice. It was the dark part of him that was always there despite his best efforts to repress it. He had learned long ago that he couldn't get rid of it, only cope with it and that made him who he was today albeit less open than he used to be.

_**You will never be the son that the Arc Family needs, just give up and come back home instead of continuing this foolish venture.**_

Jaune slowly looked up to end up face to face with his father: the man who called him a failure to his face and only regarded him with a look of disappointment. Instead of a feeling of sadness however, he simply allowed a small smile to appear on his face.

_And that right there is why you'll never truly understand me._

Jaune lifted his head a bit more and squared his shoulders standing proudly.

_I'll show you, all of you that I'm more than worthy of the Arc name and I will do it _my own _way, with _my own_power._

The image of his father merely sneered at those words.

_**We'll soon see now won't we?**_

Just like that the world faded back in while the image of Jaune's father was replaced by Professor Ozpin who was still smirking at him. Jaune smiled back and bowed his head respectively

"Thank you Headmaster, I won't let you down."

While the statement was directed towards Ozpin, the last part was meant for the three huntresses standing beside him as well. He would use this chance that was given to him to become the man that he always dreamed to be. He would carve his own path to greatness and he wouldn't have to do it alone. For the first time in his life, Jaune Arc actually felt like he could carry the entire world on his shoulders with his elation.

* * *

Blake was rather pleased with the current turn of events. She found herself teamed up with the three people whom she could consider close comrades, a first ever since her days with Adam. They also happened to be people who were skillful when it came to the battlefield, which was an extra bonus added to the already sweetened cake.

"Whew! That should work out fine!" stated Jaune cheerfully, pulling Blake from her thoughts.

The newly formed Team ABSN was currently in the process of remodeling their room to fit their needs. Their newly appointed leader walked with a certain spring to his step with a rather bright mood, a mood proved infectious with the whole team seeming to share the blonde's high spirits. Even the notorious "Ice Princess", as Blake heard many students nickname Weiss, allowed a smile to sit on her face as she helped her team rearrange the furniture with just as much enthusiasm.

"Great work everyone!" praised Jaune with a bright smile, "Now we just get some sleep and ready ourselves for our first official day as a team at Beacon tomorrow!"

Jaune held a theatrically proud pose for a few seconds before letting out a sigh.

"As if I can sleep like this…" he said in mock despair.

This got a laugh out of the others. Blake simply smiled as she regarded the boy before her. She'll admit that she wasn't expecting the announcement of Jaune being the leader, expecting it to by either Weiss or Pyrrha, but at the same time, it wasn't really all that surprising. Jaune seemed to hold a certain charismatic aura that made those around him feel a bit more confident and all-in-all happier. He also possessed the gift of quick thinking; his, while risky, brilliant plan that took down both a fully grown Nevermore and a Death Stalker being an example of this. Couple that with his excellent battle prowess as well as his massive aura and you have all the prerequisites for an ideal leader.

"I'm sure everybody is feeling the same way Jaune," said Pyrrha with a serene smile on her face, which was ten times more pleasant than that fake smile she always wore in Blake's opinion.

Weiss huffed a bit in mock annoyance.

"A shame too, I need my beauty sleep," she stated while tossing her ponytail in a prissy way with no real meaning behind it.

Jaune chuckled audibly at that while Pyrrha let out a more reserved laugh. Blake simply rolled her eyes before letting her own voice be known.

"That being said we should stay up too late, else we'll be zombies for our first day."

Jaune put on a thinking face before snapping his fingers.

"Hey, we're Team Absent right? So it would make the name fit even more!"

There was silence before Jaune pouted.

"Well fine then tough crowd."

Even Blake found herself laughing at that one.

"Oh c'mon you laugh at the joke that's not even part of the real joke!" chuckled Jaune before looking up thoughtfully, "Still, I wonder what we should do to pass the time."

"How about we talk about our experiences during the initiation?" suggested Pyrrha.

Jaune smacked a fist upon an open palm at that.

"Great idea Pyr! And since you were the one who suggested it, why don't you start?" he said.

Pyrrha hummed a bit as she recalled her experiences.

"Well…"

Blake listened with mild interest as Pyrrha started recounting her tale, taking more time to observe the people around her as a whole. Call it a force of habit, but it was something that Blake learned to pick up due to the few group missions that the White Fang had undertook. Blake's smile ebbed a bit at the reminder of her past and resisted the urge to droop her faunus ears at that less her secret be exposed.

_**You say you trust these people, yet you refuse to allow them to see who you truly are? What kind of trust is that? **_

Blake ignored that traitorous thought, as she knew it was the result of her guilt for her past actions, something that she hoped to amend. Of course the voice did have a point, if she truly did trust the group before her she would have been more than happy to allow her true heritage to show.

_I'll do so when the time is right…_

Blake promised herself this… she promised Margaret this. Blake allowed her eyes to wander towards the window and out at the night sky.

_I'll make this up to you Margaret, I'll live to be the woman that you wanted to be and make amends for all that I've done wrong._

"Blake?"

Blake was thrown out of her thoughts once again by Jaune's voice. Blake took in her surroundings only to find that she was now the center of attention with all three members looking towards her with looks of concern on their faces. Blake shook her head before smiling a bit sheepishly despite herself.

"Sorry… I was just… thinking of things…"

Internally Blake moaned at how lame that sounded. Jaune seemed to study her for a moment before opening his mouth to speak only for Weiss to beat him to the punch.

"It is clear you have a secret that you don't wish to share as of yet," said the heiress causing Blake to flinch at how blunt the comment was.

Weiss held a hand up towards Jaune and Pyrrha who looked ready to defend Blake.

"But I also know that everyone has their secrets to keep, while a good team can share secrets amongst themselves openly, such a bond takes time and we've only just met," continued Weiss regarding Blake with a look that somehow reminded Blake of Margaret, "So long as you know that your team is here for you then take all the time you need."

The room was silent as the others took in the Schnee heiress' words. Blake for one was absolutely stunned. While she held a positive view of the girl even with her heritage, she was ashamed to admit that she thought Weiss would be a bit less tactful about subjects such as this. Yet here this girl was proving her wrong in every aspect. Blake couldn't help the sting at the corners of her eyes as she felt deep emotions starting to well up although she was quick enough to keep them at bay… for now.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," said Pyrrha with an approving smile on her face.

And just like that, the Schnee heiress was reduced to a blushing mess as she shifted a bit uncomfortably.

"W-Well it's just something I thought we should enforce… being a team and all…" she began.

"And you were absolutely correct," finished Jaune with a smile of his own before addressing the team as a whole.

"I'll be first to admit that I too have my own deep dark secrets that I honestly would prefer to keep in the dark."

For a small moment the boy's expression darkened before immediately reverting back.

"But if I've learned anything in the years I spent alone in a wilderness full of Grimm, it's that keeping such things in for too long will really start to mess with you," he said before smiling, "In time I hope you will be the people I can confide this with, if you would have me and in turn I hope to grant the same service to you."

Pyrrha was the first to grant her admittance with a hand on his shoulder and a grand smile. Weiss nodded along hers right after and Blake followed along with her own nod and smile. It was then that something occurred to her.

"You lived in the wilderness? As in outside the walls?" she asked in interest.

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, albeit not too far from the walls."

Jaune immediately became the center of attention at this.

"What was it like?" asked Pyrrha, "You mentioned it before but I never got the chance to ask you due to the fact that… well…"

Jaune chuckled at the curious looks that the adorned the faces of the girls, heck Blake couldn't contain her curiosity for the life of her despite all her training on concealing emotions. The atmosphere of this team made her want to lower her guard, to trust them fully… while she probably couldn't do that now, she had a feeling that she might just be able to in the near future.

"Well get comfortable, cause this is quite a tale…" he said before taking on a thinking pose, "Now… where to start…"

Blake didn't know what the future would bring, but from how things were going now, she had high hopes for perhaps a brighter future for herself and her newfound friends.

* * *

Weiss stared up at the ceiling of her team's dorm thinking upon the day's events. The team had decided to hit the sheets a while ago in order to get some _semblance_(Suicide is an option) of sleep before classes started, but Weiss found herself still unable to do so no matter how much she tried. Her brain was still running at a thousand paces a second with the information that she had collected in just one day.

_Today I've reunited with the strangers that I considered my first friends during the Initiations ceremony. With those said friends I took down a Nevermore and a Death Stalker with a foolhardy, but admittedly exhilarating plan. And then said friends and I were put into the same team with the person who created the said foolhardy plan being placed as the leader. _

_**A position that you wanted.**_

Weiss' eyes narrowed at the voice in her head that sounded very much like her own before she closed them with a small sigh due to the fact that the voice was telling the truth. For the longest time Weiss had envisioned how her life as a professional huntress would have been, completely free of the Schnee name, her own person, a person who would _lead_ those behind her to greatness… Thus when the announcement that Jaune Arc was to be the leader was made, Weiss barely managed to stop the feeling of sadness and resentment that bubbled up from her chest. She of course knew the merits of the newly assigned leader, hell, she already saw most of his good qualities show through with his rather moving speech in response to her own reassurance to Blake.

_Speaking of Blake…_

Let it be known that living in a household where almost every single one of the servants were faunus allowed Weiss to accurately pinpoint their natural tendencies thus upon first looking at Blake, Weiss immediately knew that she was a faunus, more specifically a faunus in hiding. While this was a rather common occurrence, as unfortunate as it was, Weiss couldn't help but feel there was a deeper reason to why Blake hid her true heritage. Weiss turned her head away from the ceiling to look towards the said faunus' bed right next to her own, staring at the back of the girl's head. She stared at the bow nestled upon the girl's head, the only thing preventing the public eye from seeing the truth.

_Why are you hiding under a veil Blake Belladonna? Are you hiding because you are afraid of public scrutiny? Because you're in danger? Or perhaps… because you're ashamed?_

There were a huge number of possibilities of why that was and Weiss knew it was partly the fault of her father's company.

_My father…_

Weiss couldn't help but wonder what her father would have been like had her mother survived child birth, what her mother would have been like, what _life_ would have been like… Weiss stopped her train of thought immediately already feeling the corners of her eyes begin to sting.

_No… I can't allow myself to sink into that._

Weiss let out a sigh before she slowly sat up in her bed.

_I think I need some air._

With that thought, Weiss quietly got out of her bed and made her way towards the door not bothering with changing from her nightgown. As quietly as she could, she opened the door and slipped through before closing it just as slowly behind her. It was while she was walking aimlessly down the hall that she allowed her mind to wander once again.

_I wonder what secret Jaune keeps… what Pyrrha keeps… will they be able to actually share their burdens with the team like they said they would? Would Blake be able to? Will I be able to?_

Weiss blinked when she felt a chilling breeze and realized that she unconsciously walked up to the rooftop of the dorm. She couldn't help but admire how beautiful the shattered moon above looked surrounded by the countless stars. All of them looked like they belonged exactly where they were, nothing out of place, all side by side in perfect harmony…

_What is my place within my team?_

Weiss looked back towards the entrance to the stairwell, deep in thought.

_"That's easy, Weiss. Just be yourself."_

Weiss blinked as her sister's words danced across her head.

_Be myself?_

_ "You have a beautiful personality, my dear sister. If you just allow it to show, I'm sure you'll be able to find your place in this world very quickly."_

_ But what does that have to-_

_ "Weiss, the harsh reality of life is that you won't always get what you want. Thus you must make the most from what you are given and that's something you can't do if you aren't staying true to who you are."_

Weiss stared back up at the moon as she replayed her sister's words in her brain over and over again.

"Who I am…" she muttered to herself.

An image of the Schnee Family symbol appeared before her causing her to frown.

"Who I am…"

An image of Winter smiling at Weiss after they had their first private conversation as sisters appeared allowing the frown to soften.

"Who I am..."

Suddenly the scene back on the dust ship popped up in her head. At that moment nothing else mattered, not the world, not the worries, just the four of them smiling like idiots. Weiss slowly allowed a smile to form on her face at that.

"I am Weiss Schnee, younger sister and a proud member of Team ABSN."

Weiss suddenly felt lighter after saying those words as she continued to stare up at the moon.

_I'm going to make my mark society so that they remember the name Weiss Schnee no because of her last name, but because of her first name. I will emerge from my father's shadow and change the way that the public thinks of the Schnee Family. _

Weiss took on a look of determination.

_I'm not doing this for the honor of my family; I'm doing this for myself, for my sister._

Weiss smiled as images of Blake, Pyrrha and Jaune popped up in her head.

_For my friends._

Weiss nodded to herself before another breeze caused her to shiver once again.

"Jeez how long have I been standing out here? If I catch a cold tomorrow I'm going to have to break something," she muttered to herself.

Even while saying that, Weiss couldn't help but smile as she headed back down to her team's dorm.

* * *

Pyrrha slowly opened her eyes and stared at the digital clock in front of her face.

**5:30 AM**

Right on the dot as always. Pyrrha sighed as she slowly sat up and stretched her aching muscles. She then blinked at the unfamiliar room. It took a few moments for her to realize that she wasn't in her room back at Minstrel.

_I'm at Beacon Academy… And this is my team's room…_

Pyrrha slowly allowed her eyes to wander the room, more specifically towards the sleeping forms of her new teammates… her first real friends. Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at the thought.

_Maybe my life is finally starting to make a turn…_

THUD!

The sudden noise of a body falling to the floor caused Pyrrha to jump slightly in alarm before looking around the room for the source. That source just so happened to be her newly appointed leader who was now on the floor flat on his back with a bewildered look on his face.

"Well that's not the most pleasant way to wake up," grumbled the boy as he got up into a sitting position.

"I'll say," chimed Blake from the other side of the room after crawling back out from the corner she pressed herself into out of instinct.

A muffled groan came from Weiss' bed and Pyrrha saw the heiress pressing her face into her pillow. Jaune let out a sheepish chuckle.

"Eheh, sorry Weiss, I guess I'm not used to sleeping in a bed yet…" he apologized.

Pyrrha blinked and looked down at Jaune.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm used to the hard wood of tree branches with nothing over me," explained Jaune, "So when I felt something soft and encircling me, I thought something was trying to get me and reacted accordingly thus me falling of my bed."

"I… that's actually very detailed," commented Blake.

"Felt like it needed to be said."

Pyrrha smiled as she watched Jaune get up and dust himself off before Weiss suddenly jerked up into a sitting position. The movement was so quick that the entire team looked at her in alarm.

"Wei-?" started Jaune hesitantly before the heiress silenced him with her index finger up.

The girl took a deep breath before taking both her hands… Pyrrha's eyes widened.

_Wait she isn't gonna…_

SMACK!

The sound of flesh meeting flesh reverberated around the room as the heiress slapped her hands onto her cheeks. The pain caused the girl to be instantly alert.

"That's better," said Weiss as she stood up and stretched out.

"Uh… Weiss? What was that?"

The girl didn't open her eyes as she continued towards the bathroom.

"I found that I sometimes wake up extremely groggy causing me to childishly want to stay in bed when it's clearly time to get up, thus I found appropriate action for said behavior," she stated.

Pyrrha was a little taken aback at how aristocratic that girl sounded, but the tension was soon dispersed when Weiss turned her head slightly and smirked.

"Good morning by the way."

This was met with various smiles.

"Ditto my good lady," stated Jaune with a cheeky grin.

"Morning," stated Blake.

"Good Morning," answered Pyrrha.

Weiss rolled her eyes playfully at Jaune's answer before continuing into the bathroom. Pyrrha heard the sink water turn on as the heiress was without a doubt splashing her face with cold water to further wake herself up after… her self-inflicted wake up call.

_I wonder how hard she hit herself?_

Pyrrha grimaced a bit at that before shaking her head.

"So I can't help but notice that our entire team is up and about at such an early hour," stated Pyrrha.

Jaune turned to look at Pyrrha curiously.

"Early? What do you mean?" he asked as he walked over to the curtains and opened them revealing the sun just barely rising over the canopy of Emerald Forest, "I always wake up at the crack of dawn."

Pyrrha lifted a brow wondering why the boy didn't just look at the clock next to his bed when she remembered last night's events.

_Oh right, he was out in the wilderness before he showed up here._

Other memories of last night caused her to smile wistfully.

_It is really a blessing that I have such good people as teammates._

_**All well and good, but what will you be able to truly show off the real you in front of them?**_

Pyrrha's smile slightly ebbed at that venomous thought.

_It will take time, but soon I'd like to think…_

_**You'd like to think but are you really certain that you want to show the **_**true**_** Pyrrha Nikos? Next to all these other amazing individuals who are free from the shackles of fame? Let's face it; you're nothing but a pretty face to be slapped onto commercial products in the presence of true heroes.**_

Pyrrha's hand clenched subconsciously her own thoughts started to go to war with one another mostly due to the fact that everything was true. She was worried about what these people might think if they saw who she truly was under her mask of perfection and happiness. Would her team accept the ugly monster underneath?

_"So long as you know that your team is here for you then take all the time you need."_

Weiss' words echoed in her head.

_Will I be able to do that?_

All of a sudden Pyrrha started to feel overwhelming doubt starting to bubble up and the fact that she was subconsciously giving it a voice wasn't helping her quell it.

"Jaune… what are you doing?"

Blake's voice drew Pyrrha out of her revere allowing her to focus on the world around her… to realize that Jaune's face merely a centimeter from her own as he stared into her eyes. The Spartan yelped in surprise and leaned back from her leader, heat spreading across her cheeks.

"J-Jaune?!" she cried, flustered.

Jaune kept at his position for a little while more, his expression blank as he continued to stare at Pyrrha before he leaned back with an easy going smile on his face.

"Always wanted to do that," he said before raising a fist into the air, "Huzzah! I have crossed yet another thing from the bucket list!"

The boy then proceeded to do a very bizarre victory dance (let your imagination run wild). Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle at her leader antics as she snuck a glance at Blake. The faunus girl was in the process of rolling her eyes and shaking her head. It was then that Pyrrha noticed yet another released tension, this one leaving behind traces that it was a heavy one.

_One that I caused._

It was then Pyrrha realized that her thoughts were probably not as private as she tried to make them.

"Hey now, turn that frown upside down girl! It's morning! A time of happiness! Joy! High Spirits! And… and… happiness!" stated Jaune.

"You already said happiness," stated Weiss as she walked out of the bathroom, already dressed up in her school uniform, "The bathroom's open by the way."

Jaune mock pouted while Pyrrha suddenly felt the need to take time for herself.

"I'll go next," stated Pyrrha as she got up and walked towards the bathroom.

As she went she noticed Jaune's expression soften into a very peculiar look, one that she couldn't place. As Pyrrha continued towards the bathroom she noticed Blake fixing her with a very similar look from over the book she started reading during the entire exchange. It was brief but it was still there. Pyrrha placed it at the back of her head wanting nothing more than to get ready for the day only for Weiss to stop her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Remember, your team is here for you," she whispered before walking towards her bed.

Pyrrha watched her go with wide eyes before looking towards Jaune and Blake. Jaune gave a wink and a grin before dropping to the floor to do some push-ups while Blake lowered her book so that Pyrrha could see her small smile and nod before returning to her reading. All of a sudden Pyrrha felt warmer inside as she continued into the bathroom. Sure she was insecure about her feelings and it would probably take a while to open up ever again, but in ABSN Pyrrha was sure that one day, she will be able to open up and show her true face without fear of abandonment. This was going to be an interesting four years indeed.


	6. Somebody to Lean On

**Ch. 5: Somebody to Lean On**

Classes were a fairly enlightening experience for Jaune. He was homeschooled for most of his life by his father who believed that only an Arc could teach another Arc the correct way to be a huntsman or something along those lines. To say that Jaune was nervous about this type of learning setup was an understatement: he was downright terrified. As luck would have it, however, it seemed that at least one other member from his team was attending his classes with him thus allowing him to actually enjoy the new experience a bit more. His favorite class so far was Grimm Studies taught by Professor Peter Port due to his entire team being with him and Port's stories being fascinating to him (to the point where he was wondering why everybody else was asleep).

_How could my parents keep me from experiencing all this?_

Jaune couldn't help but sigh at that.

"Is there something wrong Jaune?"

Jaune looked over to see Pyrrha walking beside him with a worried look etched on her features. He smiled tiredly at her.

"Nothing other than the fact that school is a bit more exhausting than I'd thought it would be."

Weiss sent Jaune a look of sympathy.

"I know how you feel," she said, "my father had private tutors teach me during my younger years so I never really attended a public lecture setting."

"Well we have the chance to relax a bit in the cafeteria before out next class," said Pyrrha with a comforting smile.

Jaune's stomach grumbled at the opportunity for food that he didn't have to fight for the death for. Unfortunately for the poor boy it spoke a bit too loud allowing the three girls with him to hear it's oh so glorious voice.

"Jaune's stomach seems pretty happy about that," said Blake with a small smirk.

Jaune simply stuck out his tongue at her as they entered the cafeteria. Jaune was taken aback at the sheer size of the hall with a ceiling that arched in an intrinsic way.

_Not even the Arc mansion has anything on this…_

"Hey Jaune! Over here!"

Jaune blinked and looked towards the source of the voice to see a familiar little brunette girl with silver eyes waving at her hand at him. She and the rest of RRNY were currently seated at one of the bench tables that lined the hall in horizontal rows. It was at that moment that Jaune was mad painfully aware at the sheer number of students that were there socializing with one another, quite a few of them were stealing glances at Jaune and his team every once in a while.

_C'mon… you can do this…_

"H-Hey!" answered Jaune with a nervous wave.

More glances.

_"Oh great it's the weakling."_

_ "Hah what a loser!"_

Jaune grit his teeth.

"C'mon guys, let's go grab some food and sit down with them… they're not so bad…" he tried to say in the happiest voice he could muster.

Unfortunately it came out extremely forced, but luckily his team didn't seem to mind this as they followed his lead in grabbing food and sitting down across from team RRNY. It was barely a second after Jaune's butt hit the seat that discomfort settled upon him. He was already regretting sitting here.

_Stop it. You've dealt with this feeling before, just play it off. You're the idiot nobody cares about, big woop._

Jaune looked over at his team whom were busily eating their food.

_Big woop…_

"So Jaune…"

Jaune was thrown out of his thoughts at the sound of Ruby's voice. Jaune looked over to see the girl fidgeting nervously as she played with her hands.

"Um… do you uh…"

"Dah c'mon sis if you wanna ask the guy out you don't have to beat around the bush about it!" stated Yang with a grin.

The reaction from Ruby was immediate as her face went cherry red.

"YANG!" she cried hiding her face in her hands.

Jaune however had a completely different reaction.

_"Get away from me Vomit boy!"_

Jaune stared blankly at the table before shaking his head and scratching the back of his head out of habit.

"Well I for one want to know how you and the rest of your team learned your killer moves!" stated the loud girl, "I mean not just anybody takes down a Nevermore and a Deathstalker at the same time!"

Jaune cringed as Yang's voice reverberated the now silent cafeteria allowing Jaune to know that _everyone_ was now listening.

_C'mon… you can do this. You can do this._

"W-Well… I mean… like I said it was a t-team effort-."

"Yeah, yeah, but _how_ did you do it?" interrupted Yang.

"Yeah! Did you come up with secret noises like Ren and me? Or is it Ren and I? But the sloth is ours so you can't take that! You know that right Ren?" Nora piped in an even louder voice.

Jaune suddenly felt smaller then he ever thought possible. He'd rather take on a thousand beowolves that this.

_**Well of course you feel this way, you ran away from social life remember? Admit it, you still feel the hurt, the pain, and the loneliness of all those years…**_

Jaune clenched a fist as he fought hard to keep up his goofy exterior. Suddenly Pyrrha spoke up, smiling her polite smile as she addressed Yang with a level, calm voice.

"The details didn't really matter that much to us, we simply chose a course of action that created that outcome," she said.

Jaune barely contained his relief.

_Thank you Pyrrha…_

Unfortunately this explanation didn't sit well with Yang.

"Ooooh c'mon… there's gotta be _something _that you guys remember-," she started.

Suddenly Blake stood up gaining the attention of the table.

"I have to go," she simply stated before stalking out of the cafeteria, depositing her barely touched lunch in the trash.

There a bit of silence before Weiss stood up and followed her although not before sending a death glare and team RRNY. This left Jaune and Pyrrha sitting alone with a confused team and a slightly angered Yang.

_Oh no… c'mon think Jaune think!_

"U-Um I just realized that I need to catch up on some reading in the library!" stated Jaune before looking at Pyrrha, "You wanna join me Pyr?"

Returned the look with a myriad of emotions flitting across her eyes even as she smiled at him.

"Yes, that would be grand!"

With that Jaune and his partner made their own swift exit. As they walked Jaune heard the murmurs from the other students as well as the not-so-quiet remarks from team RRNY.

"Sheesh, what's their problem? It was just a simple question!" growled Yang.

Jaune lowered his head a bit as he continued out of the cafeteria.

_**Well what do you know… can't face your problems head on? What ever happened to paving the way to your own destiny? Hmm?**_

"I'm a coward."

Jaune barely even registered that the words left his mouth, but he wasn't going to try and take them back because it was true. He was a coward. He just ran from his problems.

_Some knight I've turned out to be… eh father?_

Suddenly he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and he looked towards Pyrrha who had a complicated look on her face.

_**She's probably wondering why she's hanging out with a coward like you.**_

Pyrrha opened her mouth as if to say something only to close it right after, her look was blank, making it hard for Jaune to tell what she was thinking. Then she did the one thing Jaune didn't expect her to do: She grabbed his hand and started dragging him with her.

"Come with me," she said with a voice full of conviction.

Jaune didn't fight it as he was dragged down the halls of Beacon.

* * *

Blake sat on the same rooftop she sat at before the initiation and stared out at the horizon of Emerald Forest in an attempt to clear her thoughts. She felt terrible for leaving Jaune up to dry like she did, but with the thoughts that were flowing through her head during that conversation, she knew that she had to get out.

_I wanted to kill them… I wanted to…_

Blake grimaced as she stared down at her hands. What she saw were the hands that were soaked in blood: a murder's hands. And she wanted to use them to wring the necks of the woman who was clearly causing Jaune major discomfort despite the fact that he was hiding it fairly well behind his goofy mask.

_**Monster.**_

Blake gritted her teeth as she felt her anger rise again.

_Do you want to forsake what Margaret has taught you again?! Do you really think your team would allow that?_

That wasn't the worse part. The worse part was when she started to hear the surrounding students whispering in curiosity about her, she up and left her team behind, with total disregard to the plight Jaune was in. Blake shut her eyes as she recalled the events of the cafeteria…

_"C'mon guys, let's go grab some food and sit down with them… they're not so bad…" said Jaune in a forced voice._

_ Blake could relate, while they seemed like good people, team RRNY seemed a bit too… loud for her tastes. Her face didn't betray any discomfort, however as she took a seat in between Weiss and Pyrrha with Jaune sitting at the other side of Pyrrha. In front of her, Nora Valkyrie was talking adamantly to her silent partner about pancakes… Blake didn't even bother trying to decipher what was going through the other girl's head._

_ "So Jaune…"_

_ Blake looked over to see the younger of the two sisters that tried to interrupt her reading, Ruby Rose if she remembered correctly, the leader of this team. She had to be skilled to hold such an honor at such a young age. What she didn't hold however was some decent social skills, something that Blake could sort of relate to due to the fact that anybody who was close enough to talk to her was usually dead, with the exception of Adam… who didn't really speak at all._

_ "Um… do you uh…"_

_ Blake watched as the girl tried to find the words to say and it almost seemed she was about to find it…_

_ "Dah c'mon sis if you wanna ask the guy out you don't have to beat around the bush about it!"_

_ Blake internally sighed at the interruption from the supposed older sister, Yang Xiao Long._

Honestly, isn't the older sibling supposed to be trying to help the younger come out of their shell? Not knock them down further?

_ Blake watched as the poor girl hid her face in her hands while indignantly yelling out the older's name. She then looked at Jaune for his reaction… only to be met with a hollow look from the usually cheerful boy. She had seen that look before, it was the look of somebody who was ostracized from society and given little to no love. It was the same look she is faced with every time she looked in the mirror when alone._

_ "Well I for one want to know how you and the rest of your team learned your killer moves!"_

_Blake was soon made painfully aware that Yang's voice was garnering the attention of the entire cafeteria making her want to check her bow only to keep herself from doing so through sheer willpower. However that wasn't the only thing that she was fighting as she watched Jaune slowly start to shrink more and more under hungry gaze of the other blonde. This only got worse as Nora joined in despite warnings from Ren who seemed to be the only one who noticed Jaune's plight._

Yet he does nothing…

_Suddenly Blake started to feel anger welling up within her as she stared at the blonde girl interrogating her leader, her comrade, her __**friend**__. Blake's eyes dilated._

Primary target assaulting friendly, female, powerful aura, teenager, holds close relation to target adjacent from primary target. Elimination may lower primary target moral. Targe-.

_ Blake stopped her thoughts short, her eyes widening a slight bit._

What was I? What…

_Suddenly the voices of the other students started to reach her sensitive faunus ears. She had to leave. Blake immediately stood up from her seat stopping all conversation and unfortunately garnering more attention to her._

_ "I have to go," stated Blake as quickly as she could, her mask barely staying in place._

_ With that, she strode briskly out of the cafeteria trying to ignore the eyes that watched her go, three of them being her own teammates._

I'm sorry Jaune…

"I'm so sorry…" muttered Blake as a single tear threatened to fall from her eyes.

She had almost let her anger get the best of her, she had almost let that monster that she had tried to contain all those years be unleashed again on somebody who definitely didn't deserve its rage.

_"Revenge is a beast that can't be tamed, it will consume any who embrace it and turn them into uncontrollable monsters. Remember this well my little kitten."_

Blake clenched her eyes shut in an attempt to prevent the tears from falling. She had almost failed Margaret, over a small thing none-the-less!

_**She was harassing your friend, your comrade.**_

Blake felt anger resurface a bit even as she tried to calm herself down.

_Damn it! I can't allow myself to lose focus. I won't be able to redeem myself!_

_**You can never redeem yourself for all the people that you killed.**_

Blake's fists clenched.

_Shut up._

_**You know it's true, those families that you tore apart… and you enjoyed it.**_

The tears started to resurface as Blake tried to keep herself from screaming out in pure rage.

_No… keep calm… keep-_

_**If only Margaret could see you now… better yet, imagine if any of your newfound "friends" found out about who you really are.**_

"Shut up…" she hissed out loud.

_**You can't deny it. You're a killer. You're a murder. You're a MONSTER."**_

"SHUT UP!" Blake roared as she slammed her fist into the ground causing the rooftop to crack a bit.

Blake sat there breathing hard trying to regain her bearings.

"Blake?"

Blake's blood ran cold as she froze stiff at the familiar voice. Slowly and hesitantly the ex-terrorist turned her head and was met with one of the last people she wanted to see her like this. Hysterical amber met cool turquoise as Weiss Schnee's calculating eyes scrutinized her.

* * *

Weiss thought she had some idea of what she would find when she followed Blake. She knew the girl was having her own personal war within herself during the blonde oaf's interrogation of her leader. Even Pyrrha could barely contain her disapproval of the other blonde's actions. Blake however looked like she was going to attack the other girl. The evidence was in the way the girl tensed up, her eyes dilating like a predator sizing up their prey and her faunus ears flicking with high frequency in anticipation all almost unnoticeable due to Blake's naturally blank face. Then just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, anger being replaced by fear made evident when the girl suddenly excused herself from the table. Weiss still didn't know why she followed Blake. Part of it was curiosity, curiosity of why the faunus girl reacted the way she did, another part was responsibility, responsibility for her partner's well-being. Yet while both were good answers, they still didn't seem to be enough.

_"When you get close to somebody, it's only natural that you worry for them."_

Perhaps Winter was right, maybe she was worried about Blake. She certainly felt that way when she made her way to the roof access and found Blake curled up and looking near tears. What happened afterwards, however, told Weiss that she didn't know Blake Belladonna as much as she originally thought. The blood-curdling rage that was unleashed when the faunus slammed her fist upon the roof all while screaming out at open air. Weiss could only stare at the broken form panting in front of her after that outburst. Every fiber in her body screamed at her to get as far away from that spot as possible, but something in Weiss kept her from doing so. It was that small part that caused her to let her presence be known. The look Blake broke Weiss' heart. It was the same on that her servants gave her during the time when she closed her servants out.

_But it's not surprising really, I _am _a Schnee after all…_

The silence between the two seemed to stretch on for hours on end with Weiss staring at the girl before her wondering how to proceed while the other girl looked ready to run at any given moment. Now let it be known that despite all of her private education during her time growing up, she had little to no knowledge about the social aspects of life. Thus upon being faced with this situation, Weiss found herself stuck.

_How would Winter have handled this…_

Suddenly Blake stood up.

"I-I should…" stuttered the usually calm girl as she hurriedly made to stumble past Weiss.

_Perhaps I should let her go… she seems to need some privacy…_

Despite this thought, Weiss' hand shot out and grabbed her partner's hand causing the faunus to freeze. Weiss didn't turn to face the other girl, but she didn't let go either. In her head another bit of Winter's advice floated to the surface.

_"Everyone wants love Weiss, no matter who they are… even father. That is why it is always important that you let your friends know that you're there for them. That way they will have the knowledge that somebody in this world cares."_

Weiss' eyes hardened in determination before she turned to face Blake who was staring at her with fearful, remorseful eyes. This situation did not require words… it required action. Thus Weiss pulled Blake into a hug, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the latter as her face hit Weiss' shoulder. For a while the two stood in this awkward hug, with Blake having to bend down a bit due to Weiss' inferior height, but Weiss refused to let go, she needed Blake to know… even if it was most likely the wrong way to go about it.

_There's no turning back now…_

So Weiss continued to hug her partner, her heart beating rapidly as she waited for Blake's next move. After another period of tension, Blake's shoulder's started to shiver. These vibrations grew stronger with each given moment until suddenly Weiss felt Blake collapse, while returning her embrace. Weiss immediately knelt down with her as for the first time, Blake Belladonna allowed herself to cry, to unleash the hurt within. Weiss' shoulder was growing moist as Blake's tears flowed freely, but she didn't care, in fact she welcomed it. She was more than willing to be a shoulder to cry on for her partner and for anybody of team ABSN.

_"It is an amazing feeling… being able to care for somebody else without asking anything in return… it makes you feel… lighter."_

Weiss remembered watching as Winter smiled fondly while saying this as if recalling a happy memory even as a small smile graced her own features.

_I couldn't agree with you more sister._

It took a while for Blake to finally calm down, but when she did, she hesitantly, almost reluctantly pulled away from Weiss' hold while wiping her eyes.

"Sorry…" she mumbled.

Weiss simply continued to rub circles around Blake's back while her other hand rested on Blake's her calm smile never leaving her face.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Blake," she said, "As I have said before, your team is here for you."

Weiss' eye caught sight of a strand of hair slightly hanging in front of the other girl's eye. Without thinking much of it, she reached up and slid the strand behind Blake's ear before resting it on her cheek.

"I'm here for you."

Blake's eyes widened a bit at her words before she smiled a bit a leaned into Weiss' hand.

"Thank you…"

There was a peaceful silence between the two before Blake finally spoke up again.

"I never really expected the famed "Ice Queen" to be so motherly."

Weiss mock-scoffed at that.

"Well don't get used to it, because these moments are rare and far between."

The two girls shared a laugh before Weiss stood up and dusted her skirt off.

"Well then, shall we be off to our next class?" she asked extending her hand towards Blake.

Blake smiled up at her before taking the hand.

"Sure."

* * *

Pyrrha's heart was beating with anticipation and she tightened the straps of her gauntlets. Her mind was raging wondering if she was making the right way of approaching this particular situation.

_I said that this would be a good stress reliever, but now that I'm actually going through with this… I'm starting to think this isn't the most appropriate thing to do… especially after…_

Pyrrha's expression fell a bit when she thought back towards the cafeteria, when she watched her leader deal with his inner demons all the while feeling like she couldn't do anything to help. Even as she tried to help alleviate some of the stress being thrust upon him by Yang, despite his relief his still looked like he was pained by _something_. Pyrrha took a deep breath.

_Alright Pyrrha, you've already started this, might as well go the rest of the way._

Pyrrha walked out towards the cliff that overlooked Emerald Forest where she spotted her leader waiting for her, decked out in his combat gear as she asked. He had a smile on his face as he greeted her, but the fact that it didn't reach his eyes told her that he was anything but happy.

"So Pyr, you've got me in my combat gear, what's up?" he asked with a goofy grin.

Pyrrha stared at Jaune for a moment as she recalled something her father had told her… before her fame.

"_You can use words all you want, but the only way for a warrior to understand another is to do what warriors do best: fight."_

"Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha blinked and looked at Jaune to see him with a concerned look on his face.

_I'm supposed to be the one who's concerned._

Pyrrha brushed the thought aside before she smiled back at Jaune.

"Well… I was thinking we could have a little spar before we head into combat class today since you are usually pitted against other students there."

Jaune blinked at this and put on a thoughtful expression meanwhile Pyrrha bit her lips while crossing her fingers.

_Please just accept it._

To her relief Jaune shrugged in acceptance.

"Eh, why not, like you said this is a good way to relieve stress," he said with a winning smile.

Pyrrha returned it before she took her battle stance, Akouo in front of her and Milo at the ready slightly behind her. Jaune smirked before taking a more relaxed position, not bother to draw his sword, his sword hand hanging loosely at his side.

"Whenever you're ready Pyr," he said.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at how lax he was being, but she didn't let that bother her as she charged, jabbing Milo forward only for it to meet empty air.

"Sheesh, aren't we just eager today?"

Pyrrha spun around to see the boy a few feet behind her with his hands in his pockets smirking at her.

"C'mon now, I know you were trying to go easy on me, kind of insulting really," he stated with no real heat to his words.

Pyrrha suddenly felt her heart beating faster in anticipation. Yes, she had started off easy, something she always did against an opponent to gauge what type of person they were. There were the typical arrogant fighters, the ones she always seemed to be fighting during the finals thus earning her easy victories. Jaune seemed to be showing the correct attitude for those arrogant fighters, but unlike them, he showed something above and beyond pure skill and strength. He carried himself like a veteran, somebody who was confident in their abilities but also used them intelligently. This was the kind of opponent was rare and was one that Pyrrha always wished to fight against.

"Be careful for what you ask for," she said with a challenging smile, "You might not be smiling when I wipe the floor of you."

Jaune's smile grew wider at that even as he took on a more serious stance.

"Oh? Then come at me."

Pyrrha smirked.

"How about you come to me?" she said.

With that she threw Akouo forward towards Jaune who immediately jumped over it like she expected him to.

_Got you._

Pyrrha used her semblance to immediately make Akouo rebound and streak towards the boy who was still mid-air. He immediately blocked the attack with his sheathed sword causing him and Akouo to speed towards Pyrrha. Pyrrha made to slash at the boy as he approached only for Milo's blade to be stopped short by the naked blade of Jaune's sword.

_I barely even saw him draw his sword… he's dangerously fast._

Jaune did a quick spin causing Akouo to slip under him while Milo was pushed back. Pyrrha quickly recovered by simply stepping backwards and grabbing Akouo out of the air while Jaune landed a couple of yards across from Pyrrha.

"Fancy stuff Pyr, but you're gonna have to do better than that if you want the jump on me," said Jaune with his smile still present.

Pyrrha grinned.

"I'm just getting started!"

She quickly changed Milo into its javelin form before sending it rocketing towards Jaune before following swiftly after it. Jaune moved a bit to the side and Pyrrha had Milo turn so that it would meet him no matter what. This forced Jaune to block the incoming projectile with a swift swing from his sword causing Milo to flip in the air. This left him exposed, which Pyrrha immediately exploited by ramming Akouo into his exposed chest-

BONG!

Pyrrha blinked in surprise while Jaune continued to grin at her. In front of him was a metal kite-shield standing firm against Akouo despite the difference in thickness.

_So his sheath is also a shield…_

Pyrrha smirked before she used her semblance to have Milo shoot back down from the sky back down towards the boy who performed a backflip, kicking off Akouo in the process causing Pyrrha to stagger back another step, successfully avoiding Milo causing it to embed itself in the dirt. Jaune then slipped his arm out of his shield's grips causing it to spin in the air before reverting back into sheath form. Jaune then grabbed it out of the air and sheathed his sword.

"That all?" challenged Jaune, "I still get the feeling you haven't really started taking this seriously yet."

Pyrrha huffed as she retrieved Milo from the dirt and twirled it in her hand, transforming it back into sword form.

"You are a hard man to please Mr. Arc," she shot back.

Jaune shrugged at this with an apologetic smile.

"What can I say? I have so precise likes and dislikes."

Suddenly the air seemed to shift as Jaune reached up to his hood.

"That being said…"

Pyrrha felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"You've been so gracious to entertain me with some fancy moves…"

Jaune put his hood over his eyes even as the air around him seemed to grow restless.

"It's only fair…"

Suddenly Jaune was gone in a flash of light causing Pyrrha's eyes to widen before she positioned Akouo in a defensive position to her side just in time to be thrown backward by a powerful slash from Jaune's sword.

"That I return the favor," he finished with a smirk on his face before disappearing again.

Pyrrha soon found herself being forced to block multiple strikes from every direction as the boy blinked in and out of the plane of existence. Yet despite all of this, Pyrrha held a wide smile on her face. It had been too long since she had a worthy opponent. Her whole body was filled with excitement as she traded blows with her leader, using her semblance to enhance her attacks with Akouo and/or Milo while Jaune used his semblance to avoid them and try to throw her off. After a bit more skirmishing Jaune suddenly broke away, appearing a few yards away from her in a crouched position, his sword hand at his sword's hilt as his aura started to flair.

"How about we do one last clash to figure out who the winner will be?" he asked with a wide grin.

Pyrrha grinned back in excitement as she too readied herself to charge forth.

"I'll put my all in this final strike then," she said.

For a while there was silence as the two warriors stared at one another before in a sudden burst of aura the two charged forth readying to finish their figh-

"I think that's quite enough."

Pyrrha tripped over herself in surprise just as Jaune did the same causing the two to slam right into each other. For a while Pyrrha and Jaune were airborne before the two crashed to the ground with Pyrrha being on top of Jaune.

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha moaned as she made to get up.

"Nah it's fine," groaned Jaune as he held the back of his head.

"My my how youth works fast," came the same amused voice from before.

Pyrrha whipped her head over to see Ozpin standing there with his usual cup of coffee in his hand with a small smirk on his face.

"Headmaster? What are you doing here?" asked Jaune taking the words right out of Pyrrha's mouth.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee before regarding the two with a smirk.

"The real question is what are you two doing?"

"We were just… just…"

Suddenly Pyrrha was made aware of the position the two were in and she slowly turned to look down at Jaune who came to the same realization. Within seconds the two were on their feet, their faces cherry red while stuttering out excuses. Ozpin simply chuckled at this.

"Now, now children, you do not have to create excuses, you are still young and it is only natural to gravitate towards one who garners your fancy," he said and continued on before Pyrrha or Jaune could protest, "That being said try keeping such activities controlled so that our good Professor Goodwitch doesn't have a fit, hmm? Now run off to class."

With that Ozpin gave the two a wink before walking off leaving the teens red-faced and embarrassed. After a few more awkward moments, Jaune decided to speak up.

"Well… that happened," he muttered.

Pyrrha simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak. More silence ensued before Jaune suddenly spoke up.

"I know what you were trying to do by the way."

Pyrrha blinked and looked at Jaune in confusion only see him with a knowing, saddened smile.

"You were trying to understand me through a practical duel, no? Well at least until I decided to exploit your lust to fight a worthy opponent," said Jaune smirking a bit at the end.

Pyrrha's jaw dropped at that. She was found out right from the beginning and then swayed away from her original goal.

_Now I feel foolish…_

Suddenly Pyrrha felt a warm hand on her shoulder causing her to look back up at Jaune and saw him smiling a smile that seemed to make her warm inside.

"Thank you, while I'm not really ready to share yet, it's still good to know that you care that deeply for me."

Pyrrha blushed before looking away.

"The pleasure is all mine believe me," said Pyrrha bashfully.

Jaune chuckled.

"Thanks all the same."

They sat there as Pyrrha reveled in the warmth Jaune's hand had on her shoulder, but it soon ended as Jaune sighed and removed his hand making Pyrrha want to whine in protest.

"Well… we should probably be getting to combat class… I don't want Professor Goodwitch to be on our case."

The two shivered at the thought before Pyrrha nodded in agreement. The two started making their way back towards the campus.

"Jaune?" asked Pyrrha suddenly.

Jaune looked over at Pyrrha questioningly.

"Do you… do you think we could spar again some time?" she asked a bit shyly.

Jaune smirked at that.

"I'd love to get you more Pyrrha! You don't even have to ask!"

Pyrrha punched Jaune playfully on the shoulder and looked away so that he couldn't see her smile even as his merry laughter played like music in her ears.


	7. The Strongest Team of Beacon

**Ch. 6: The Strongest Team of Beacon**

"Welcome to Combat Class," stated Glynda Goodwitch as she stood at the center of an arena with the entire freshman body sitting before her on the bleachers, "This is where you will refine you physical combat skills against your fellow hunters and huntresses."

Jaune wouldn't lie and say he wasn't all that enthused with this class; news flash: he was ecstatic. This was only made more apparent after his duel with Pyrrha.

_I wonder if anybody else in our class will be able to fight like that?_

Jaune turned to look at his team whom were all seated beside him. Blake and Weiss had already been seated by the time he and Pyrrha had arrived and had saved them a seat. Jaune was relieved to see that Blake was feeling much better courtesy of Weiss and while neither of the girls were willing to divulge how Weiss comforted Blake, Jaune figured that as long as Blake was happy again it was good enough for him. He for one felt a lot better as well thanks to Pyrrha's attempt at comfort. Speaking of Pyrrha, she had turned to meet his gaze and now sported a curious expression.

"Are you okay Jaune?" she whispered.

Jaune simply waved his hand with a smirk.

"I'm fine Pyr, just thinking about how fun sparring will be especially after our little tussle," he said.

Pyrrha blushed a bit at that, but nodded regardless with a sizable smile on her face.

"Yes, it was very good fight, I do hope there are more fights such as those," she said with a bit of enthusiasm in her voice.

Jaune nodded before putting finger up to his lips and motioning towards the disciplinary currently still talking. Pyrrha nodded before returning her gaze towards the speaker, Jaune doing the same.

"-teamwork is essential, there are times when a hunter or huntress may have to rely on their individual skill," stated the professor, "A team is only as strong as its weakest link."

Jaune nodded in agreement at this.

"Now that we have established that, I will now choose two students to duel one another, when I call your name, enter the arena."

With that said, Glynda looked at her scroll.

"Up first we will have… Weiss Schnee."

Jaune smirked at this. He hadn't really been able to see Weiss truly fight, despite the fact that she fought along side him as team ABSN took down a Nevermore and a Deathstalker at the same time.

_This outa be interesting to watch…_

"Fighting Cardin Winchester."

_...Nevermind._

Jaune couldn't hold back a disappointed sigh even as a certain heiress let out a sigh of her own at that. Weiss looked over at Jaune in curiosity.

"Why are _you_ sighing? You're not the one who has to fight that uncultured brute."

Jaune just pouted childishly.

"I wanted to see a good fight but instead all I'm going to see is a one-sided beat down," he whined while letting out a theatrical huff.

This earned him giggles from his partner and eye-rolls from Blake and Weiss.

"Well look on the bright side," said Pyrrha with a slightly… off smile, "At least he'll be able to get what he deserves after ruining our moment on the dust plane."

This caused the rest of ABSN to put on thoughtful looks before some rather dark smiles appeared on their faces.

"Show him no mercy Weiss," stated Blake.

"Knock him around for me Weiss," said Jaune.

Weiss nodded before marching off towards the arena floor. Jaune turned towards the arena floor to see that Cardin was already down there although he seemed to look a bit nervous.

_He better be…_

Jaune smirked as he watched Weiss take her place opposite of her opponent.

"Please sync your scrolls up with your aura," stated Glynda.

Weiss and Cardin did as they were told allowing portraits of their faces to appear on the main screen above the arena with green bars right below them.

"This spar will be done using tournament rules, are you both clear on what these rules are?" asked Glynda.

"Crystal," stated Weiss not taking her eyes off of Cardin as she readied her rapier.

Jaune had to hold back a laugh at how nervous Cardin sounded as he answered himself.

"Y-Yeah?" he said trying to keep him cocky composure.

"Aw he's about to piss himself," joked Jaune.

"Are you sure he hasn't done so already?" whispered Blake.

Between them Pyrrha simply giggled.

"Very well then," stated Glynda before backing off towards the side, "Begin!"

Cardin charged forth immediately with his mace poised most likely hoping to use his brute strength to over power the clearly smaller girl.

_An amateur mistake, he didn't even try to gauge his opponent before him._

Jaune's eyes flicked to Weiss who still stood calm and collected despite the fact that there was a person twice her height and mass charging towards her.

_Weiss on the other hand knows exactly what's up._

Jaune smirked as he watched Weiss side-step at the very last moment causing Cardin's swing to miss and the momentum of the heavy mace threw the boy head over heels until he was flat on his back. He lay there dazed for a moment as Weiss walked a little ways away from Cardin.

"Is that all?" scoffed Weiss, "One would think you had some skill to back up all that insufferable bravado of yours."

Jaune smirked at that.

"Well it all goes to show, you can't judge a book by its cover," he said.

Blake snorted.

"In this case the said book is absolute crap and the publisher tried to blot it out with an equally crap cover," she deadpanned.

"This is true," agreed Jaune.

"Very true," chimed Pyrrha.

Meanwhile Cardin had gotten back up not too happy about Weiss' comment or the fact that the girl still had her back turned towards him checking her nails like they were more interesting.

"I'll make you eat your words!" he roared as he charged again.

Weiss simply sighed and turned towards Cardin with a deadpanned look before repeating what she did last time garnering the exact same result. By this point the entire audience was barely able to conceal their laughter. The members of team CRDL were hiding their faces in embarrassment, for good reason too.

"How you got into Beacon is beyond me," stated Weiss as she walked away from the self-floored Winchester looking up in mock thought, "Your technique is sloppy, you take unnecessary risks, you don't learn from you mistakes, you think that you're superior to all those around you…"

Weiss was about to drone further but faded off to lean her head to one side allowing Cardin's mace to go careening by, landing at the other side of the arena with a heavy THUNK. Weiss then straightened her neck out again and turned towards Cardin who was frozen in his throwing position, his eyes wide in shock.

"And you have the intelligence of a flea," she finished.

Jaune and the rest of team ABSN couldn't agree more with Weiss' analysis if the fact that they all had huge smirks on their faces wasn't anything to go off of. In fact, many students that were near them edged away due to the evil aura that seemed to radiate off of them. Weiss in the meantime stalked over to Cardin's discarded mace and used her rapier to flick it over towards its owner with ease whom clumsily managed to catch it.

"It's my turn now," stated Weiss with a dark smile on her face, "Prepare yourself."

Jaune leaned forward in anticipation.

_This may be interesting after all._

With high speed and grace, Weiss closed the distance between her and Cardin and speared her rapier right into Cardin's…

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

_Or not._

The high-pitched scream echoed throughout the arena and most likely across Beacon as Jaune shoved his hands onto his ears while grimacing.

_This almost makes me feel sorry for the guy._

Jaune looked over at his other teammates only to see Pyrrha with a bright smile on her face with her hands on her ears and Blake with a pained, but satisfied smirk.

_"Almost" being the key term._

Jaune held a smirk of his own before looking down at the arena to see Cardin curled up in a fetal position while clutching his crotch. With Weiss standing a little ways away wiping the tip of her rapier off with an uncaring look on her face.

"Oh relax, you were protected by you aura, quit whining like a baby," said Weiss.

"Thank you Ms. Schnee," stated Professor Goodwitch as she stepped back up to the arena, "As you can see, Mr. Winchester's aura level has hit the red level meaning in tourney rules that he would be unable to fight any longer."

Jaune frowned at this.

_What are you talking about? Even if you have a small flutter of aura left you are still good to fight Grimm aren't gonna back off just because your aura's a bit low._

Jaune stayed silent however and continued to listen.

"Mr. Winchester, I hope you take this match has enlightened you and changes you approach towards you training."

Cardin simply whimpered where he lay.

"And Ms. Schnee, I will not tolerate talking down to a fellow student, you must treat your foes with respect."

Weiss simply nodded in agreement, her professional mask firmly in place although Jaune saw the subtle mirth that was flitting in her eyes.

"With that we shall have our next duel, Ms. Schnee you may be seated and may the rest of Team CRDL remove their leader from the arena floor please."

Jaune watched as Cardin's team dragged the teary-eyed boy off the arena floor letting out grumbles and curses along the way as chuckles and giggles followed in their wake.

_Nobody likes Cardin._

Jaune turned towards Weiss who had just taken her seat next to Blake.

"Nice job Weiss, that was a boring fight, but entertaining show!" he complimented.

Weiss simply huffed.

"I honestly got more of a challenge from a wood practice dummy."

Jaune chuckled at that,

"Well at least that took care of that windbag," he stated before looking around at all the students (primarily male) looking fearfully at the Schnee heiress, "Although if people weren't scared of you before…"

"As if I care," scoffed Weiss before lowering her voice a bit, "I have more than enough company right here."

Jaune's smirk morphed into a small smile.

"The feeling is mutual."

There were nods of agreement from Pyrrha and Blake. Jaune then turned towards the front.

"Well then, let's see who's fighting n-," he started.

"Jaune Arc."

* * *

Blake watched in amusement as Jaune hunched over in a small pout after he was interrupted.

"Well ya could've let me finish, teach, sheesh," he muttered under his breath, although Blake's acute faunus senses allowed her to pick up his words.

Pyrrha simply giggled from beside him.

"Well at least you'll get to fight now," she said amicably.

Jaune immediately reverted back to gleeful in an instant.

"You're right, I wonder who my opponent wil-."

"Fighting Nora Valkyrie."

Jaune gave the professor a deadpanned look.

"I swear this woman is doing that on purpose."

Pyrrha patted the boy's shoulder comfortingly.

"You'd better head down, Jaune, before the said woman throws a fit," said Blake with a small smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," said Jaune with no real heat in his voice as he made his way down to the fighting platform.

Blake saw that his opponent was already there, bouncing up and down on her feet in anticipation. Blake had not really got to study her leader's fighting style closely, only bits and pieces while they were taking down the Deathstalker and Nevermore.

_From what I recall his auras seems to teleport him about some how… or at least that's what it looked like._

Based off just that it could be possible that his semblance is teleportation, but Blake didn't want to jump to conclusions.

_This fight might just reveal a few hidden details._

Blake then looked at his opponent, Nora Valkyrie, a member of team RRNY. Almost immediately she fell into her analytical state of mind despite this not being her fight.

_A hammer user able to cripple most with a single blow… but her weapon of choice leaves her vulnerable to faster opponents. Jaune fits this bill perfectly. _

"Hmm…"

Blake looked over at Weiss who had a hand on her chin as she surveyed the field with her cool-calculating eyes narrowed slightly. The look that the heiress had on her face told Blake that she was sizing up every detail of the fight that was going to occur, something that Blake admired about her. While Blake excelled at quickly finding an opponent's weakness so that she could dispatch them quickly (and quietly) Weiss found every little calculated detail of an upcoming battle, thinking of every scenario, and looking at the big picture as a whole. Where Jaune could come up with an impressive, but highly risky plan on the fly, Weiss could come up with the perfect plan given just a few minutes to think on a situation.

"What do you think Weiss?" asked Blake eager for the Schnee girl's input.

Weiss didn't look away from the battlefield as she spoke.

"Judging from Jaune's lithe frame and his fighting style during initiation, he is more of an agile fighter, something that puts him at a tremendous advantage over Valkyrie who is more of a frontline-based fighter much like Winchester, but on an _exponentially_ higher level."

Blake heard Pyrrha let out a little snort at that even as Blake let a small smile through. Meanwhile Weiss continued with her analysis.

"To add to this, the arena we are fighting in is a flat plain with no obstacles other than the walls used to keep the fighters in," she said, "This will give Jaune more than enough time to keep his speed and rhythm throughout this fight."

Blake nodded at this as she looked back down at the arena where Glynda was going through the rules again with Nora and Jaune.

"However."

Blake looked back at Weiss.

"The walls that I have mentioned do severely limit the area that Jaune can use to maneuver and with Valkyrie's weapon able to dish out damage in a wide area…"

Blake's eyes widened at that before looking back down at the arena again.

_She's right… while a decent size, this fighting field is no forest, Jaune might not be used to such an enclosed space…_

"I wouldn't worry to much about that," stated Pyrrha calmly.

Blake looked over at the redhead while sensing Weiss doing the same thing.

"What do you mean?" asked Blake incredulously.

Pyrrha simply smiled at the two of them with a knowing look.

"Watch and you'll see."

Blake lifted a brow at Pyrrha's cryptic answer before slowly turning back towards Weiss who had a confused frown on her face. Blake then turned back towards the stage where the professor was about ready to start the match.

"Are both fighters ready?"

"YEAH!" hollered Nora in excitement as she readied her monstrous hammer/grenade launcher.

At the sidelines the rest of Nora's team cheered loudly for their teammate.

"Go Nora!" shouted Yang holding up a "number 1" glove.

"Fight well," stated Ren waving a small flag that somehow had RRNY's name on it.

"Represent team RRNY!" chimed Ruby.

_Where the hell did they get those?_

Nora turned towards her 'fans' with wide grin.

"You got it fearless leader!"

Jaune on the other hand simply looked towards his team and nodded with a slight smile, which they all returned. Goodwitch gave Nora an exasperated look before shaking her head and lifting her arm.

"Very well, then begin!"

Nora charged forth and slammed her hammer down upon Jaune.

BOOM!

Upon impact, the hammerhead let off an explosion that sent dust and shrapnel everywhere. Blake smirked.

_As expected._

Once the dust cleared, Nora and the rest of the students (besides Pyrrha, Blake and Weiss) was surprised to find that Jaune was standing at the other side of the arena behind her with his hands in his pockets.

"You're gonna have to try better than that if you wanna hit me," he stated with a small grin.

Blake lifted a brow.

_I didn't think that Jaune would be the type who mocks his opponents._

Blake had fought many of those types; most of them usually were fairly skilled fighters with arrogance far beyond anything she could comprehend…

_They all met a common end by my hand._

Blake shook her head of these dark thoughts and brought her attention back to the battlefield just in time to see Nora turn around with an almost maniacal smile on her face.

"You're fast Jaune-Jaune! This is going to be funner than I expected!" she stated.

Jaune simply kept his smirk while lifting a hand and motioning her tauntingly to come forward. Nora obliged happily, laughing like a madwoman as she did so. As she ran, Nora spun her hammer around in one hand, increasing it's momentum, she then jumped up and twisted her body, swinging her hammer at Jaune who immediately blinked out of existence and appeared behind Nora only to be forced to blink out again due to Nora's momentum carrying her hammer around towards there at a fast pace. Blake blinked.

_Instead of having to waste time with the aftermath of an overhead strike, she just saves up the momentum for multiple side strikes… clever._

It was a tactic used by many expert hammer wielders back in the day. The idea behind it was to counter the advantage that an agile fighter had over them. Nora was pulling it off with masterful precision, even as she landed on the ground, she continued her spinning onslaught forcing Jaune to continue to avoid her powerful attacks.

_I wonder what Jaune's counter play is going to be for this._

Blake noticed that Jaune had his smirk ever present through out this entire ordeal, not a hint of fatigue on his face despite having to blink in and out of existence constantly. Suddenly after blinking into existence after the twentieth time (Blake was counting) Jaune unhooked his sheath and with amazing speed raised it to block the incoming hammer. Blake's eyes widened.

_Is he crazy?!_

Right when the hammer collided with the sheath, there was a blinding flash of light emitted from Jaune causing everybody to flinch, followed immediately by another explosion from Nora's hammer. Then the light was gone as quickly as it came forcing Blake to blink a couple of times so that her eyes could focus. When she looked upon the battlefield she saw Nora standing there alone… Jaune was nowhere to be seen.

_Where…_

Suddenly Blake spotted Jaune's sheath lying on the floor beside Nora's feet… only it wasn't a sheath anymore but a shield, proudly portraying what Blake assumed was Jaune's family symbol.

_That's a bit of a surprise… but still… where's Jaune?_

Meanwhile Nora was swaying a bit with a goofy grin on her face.

"Heeeeeeey Renny… why is everything so spinny?" she slurred before falling onto her back.

Blake smirked at that.

_A downside to the tactic she implemented, especially since she was stopped so violently…_

"Very nicely done, Nora, but unfortunately this is my win."

Blake blinked as just as Jaune wasn't there; suddenly he was standing over Nora with his sheath in hand and his blade at her neck, a universal sign of domination over an opponent. Nora lifted an arm groggily in defiance.

"I wiiiillll nevaaaar surrrrr…" she declared before her arm fell back down, "Ugh… I don't feel goooooooood…"

Goodwitch stared at the combatants for a bit before walking forward and clearing her throat.

"It seems that Ms. Valkyrie is unable to continue the battle therefore victory goes to Mr. Arc," she stated before addressing the combatants, "That was a very risky maneuver you pulled Mr. Arc, while it turned out to be a success, you should consider… a safer way of proceeding in more dangerous situations."

Jaune scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hehe…"

"And Ms. Valkyrie, while I applaud your quick thinking to use such a tactic, I'd advise keeping its adverse effects in mind before you do so."

"Kaaaaaay…" answered Nora with a thumbs-up before letting her hand fall back onto the floor with a thump.

Blake mused over what she had seen.

_So Jaune definitely relies on his teleportation as a key part of his fighting style, but he also can turn the fight into a direct confrontation if need be thanks to that shield._

Blake turned to Pyrrha who had an almost smug look on her face. Pyrrha caught her eye and winked at her causing Blake to smile slightly

_Very interesting._

"Good, now Mr. Arc, if you would help Ms. Valkyrie back to her seat we can move on," stated Goodwitch.

Jaune simply nodded before putting one of Nora's arms over his shoulders and helping her walk towards her team, along the way she kept saying stuff about pancakes, but Blake didn't feel like she needed all the details. Goodwitch then turned to address the rest of the class.

"You would all do well to remember that while risks can deal out massive rewards, they can also be very harmful to you, remember this well, for the Grimm will not be as chivalrous."

Blake lowered her head at that.

_Nor will certain people… nor the White Fang… nor Adam…_

Blake suddenly felt something soft touch her thigh causing her to jolt from her thoughts and look to see a dainty, pale hand resting reassuringly there. Blake looked towards the owner to see that it was Weiss, who wasn't looking at her, but the message was clear: I'm here for you. Blake couldn't help but smile at that.

"Now for this last fight we will have a two fighting two battle, you will fight along side a member of your team against two members of another team."

Blake lifted a brow at that.

_This will be interesting…_

Just then Jaune took a seat beside Pyrrha who immediately congratulated Jaune on a job well done, who took the praise with that cheeky smile of his.

"Now, Yang Xiao Long and Lei Ren please come forward."

Blake grimaced at Yang's name, remembering what she had almost done to her earlier today, but she shook it off.

_Enough, I'll just take steps to control such tendencies; I just need time._

Blake nodded to herself before looking towards Goodwitch, seeing Yang and Ren standing at one-side, already prepared for combat. Yang was cracking her knuckles in anticipation with a wide grin on her face while Ren simply waited calmly for their opponents to be chosen.

_Talk about a clash in personalities._

"Their opponents will be… Pyrrha Nikos…"

Blake nodded at that.

_Pyrrha was another person whom I wanted to observe in a fight, so this will…_

Suddenly Blake's blood ran cold when realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"… and Blake Belladonna."

_…I wonder if Beacon will miss its disciplinary…_

* * *

Weiss couldn't help but worry a bit at Blake's slumped posture as she made her way down towards the arena floor. A small, irked smile from the said girl, made it known that it wasn't too serious. Still… it would have been nice if Blake would open up a little bit after their bonding on the rooftop…

_… Okay that sounded wrong…_

Weiss shook her head of such thoughts and surveyed the two fighters at the opposing end of the arena.

_I don't see any visible weapons on either fighter..._

Weiss narrowed her eyes upon spotting the yellow gauntlets on Yang's wrists.

_Or… judging by the technology on those gauntlets… she seems to be a close-quarters fighter regardless of what they transform to._

Weiss then looked towards Lei…

_An odd first name… perhaps it's the culture?_

Weiss shook her head.

_That aside he doesn't have any visible weapons on him, making him all the more dangerous due to the unknown._

Weiss then looked towards Pyrrha and Blake whom seemed be having a one-sided pre-fight pep talk, with Pyrrha being the one doing the talking. Weiss allowed a small smile through at that.

"It's good to see that Blake is doing well."

Weiss almost jumped at Jaune's sudden intrusion into her thoughts effectively cutting them off. Weiss turned towards Jaune to see him sitting a bit closer to her with a fond smile on his face as he gazed down as well.

"I'm assuming you were able to talk to her after she stormed out of the cafeteria?" he asked.

Weiss hummed an affirmative as she watched Pyrrha put a hand on Blake's shoulders causing the faunus girl to look up with what seemed to be a subtly annoyed look on her face.

"Good… that's good…"

Weiss waited for more only to be met by silence causing her to turn towards Jaune with a lifted brow. After a beat, Jaune turned his head towards Weiss with a knowing grin.

"You're probably wanting to know why I'm not pressing the issue, no?"

Weiss blinked before nodding hesitantly. Jaune's grin widened a bit.

"I do believe our friend has confided with you good madam, thus I shall await her word on what is bothering her should she wish to share with me," he stated quietly in mock-flourish.

Weiss was a bit taken aback by the blonde's willingness to wait, most others would have pressed for more immediately.

_Then again this is Jaune we're talking about, he seems to have the patience of a thousand monks._

Weiss couldn't help the next lingering thought that floated around in her brain.

_Would I have been able to do that?_

Weiss immediately shook herself of the thought before it truly sunk in.

_Enough, I've got a match to watch._

With that Weiss gazed back at the arena below her. At the corner of her eye she noticed Jaune had done the same thing, although she had a tiny suspicion that he had noticed her internal struggle and simply decided to ignore it. As if to prove her point, the boy spoke up, effectively changing the course of her thoughts with his question.

"So Miss Analytics, what's your verdict on the outcome of this match?" asked Jaune with a cheeky grin on his face.

Weiss rolled her eyes at the nickname.

"Well I think it's pretty obvious who the victors will be," she said with a confident smirk.

Jaune chuckled.

"Too true, too true my good lady, but the fun is in the details, we need the meat of this story!" he pressed lightly.

Weiss couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her before she turned her attention to the upcoming fight with Pyrrha just finishing up her pep talk with Blake looking a bit less tense.

"From what I've seen from Miss Xiao Long and Mister Ren, I can bet that Xiao Long will have most, if not all of the duo's close-range power. I do not know of her skills, but her build suggests that she can deal serious damage to anything she punches. Ren, on the other hand, is a wild card due to the fact that his weapons are either non-existant or concealed in someway. He may have blades, or may be another hand-to-hand fighter like Xiao Long," droned Weiss.

Jaune made a humming noise beside her that sounded contemplative. Weiss took it as a sign to continue.

"Keeping these things in mind, it would most likely be best for Pyrrha and Blake to keep their distance and try to bait out Ren's weaponry before deciding on someone to focus on taking out first," finished Weiss before she turned to Jaune who held a thinking pose.

"I see… well with that information in mind, that Lei guy looks like a slippery fighter, someone who shouldn't be too much of a problem for Pyrrha to block," he said before smirking garnering Weiss' curiosity.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"I'll tell you and Blake when we get back to the room, I promise," he said with a grin before returning his attention back to the field.

"And while I know only a little about Blake's fighting style is that she's more of an assassin type fighter, all about speed and agility, taking out the opponent quickly and efficiently," he said.

Weiss nodded at this as she stared up at the ceiling.

"So it would be best if she takes on Ren due to the fact that she could match him in speed while Pyrrha can take on the brunt of Yang's power…" stated Weiss only to falter a bit.

"What is it?" asked Jaune.

"Now that I think about it…"

_"…Ren looks like a slippery fighter, someone who shouldn't be too much of a problem for Pyrrha to block."_

Weiss' eyes widened bit in revelation and she looked towards Jaune in excitement.

"Now that I think of it actually should be Pyrrha who should focus on Ren!"

Jaune looked at her before the same revelation seemed to dawn on him.

"Yeah… yeah, due to the fact that Ren is an unknown, Pyrrha's constant blocking may force him to use more of his arsenal, thus giving Pyrrha the bait she needs!" he said before looking towards Yang, "and Yang is probably going to be a power over finesse type of fighter, someone that Blake should have no problems distracting with her fancy dodging!"

"And once Ren takes the bait…" said Weiss.

"Blake can switch with Pyrrha who will hold Yang off while Blake finishes off Ren…" continued Jaune.

"And then Blake can rejoin Pyrrha, making it a two-on-one scenario…"

"Creating an advantage leading to the inevitable victory!"

Weiss didn't even bother trying to hide the full-blown grin she had on her face at that point. She couldn't help it; it was too long since she had been able to resonate with another so well in terms of intellect. Mind you, she wasn't calling Pyrrha or Blake dumb by any means, far from it; the only problem was that they could not really keep up with all her droning analytics while Jaune followed along to the letter and even added to her train of thought.

_No wonder he came up with that plan with the Nevermore and the Deathstalker so fast…_

Meanwhile, the very person of her thoughts was looking back towards the field.

"Let us see if our friends on the field have come up with the same conclusion."

Weiss nodded in agreement as she looked down as well.

"And if not, let's see what plan they decide to come up with."

"Mmhmm."

The two fell into a comfortable silence as Professor Goodwitch raised her hand in preparation to start the match.

"We should try doing this for every match," said Jaune suddenly, "Maybe even get Blake and Pyrrha on it."

Weiss nodded in agreement.

"It will certainly help with team building," she said.

"Not to mention fun!" added Jaune.

Weiss rolled her eyes at her leader's antics.

"Why do I listen to you again?" she asked with no real heat in her words.

"Because I'm dee best!" said Jaune in an odd accent.

Weiss shook her head in mirth.

"You really are somethi-."

"And begin!" stated Professor Goodwitch suddenly.

Weiss blinked before she looked over at Jaune.

"I think I'm starting to believe you about her doing that on purpose."

Jaune only nodded solemnly in answer.

* * *

Pyrrha planted herself into her battle stance as she gazed at the enemy before her. She and Blake had a simple plan: wait and see. While it may not seem like much, they were dealing with too many unknowns, thus Blake suggested the safe approach and Pyrrha only too happily agreed. She wasn't the four-time winner of the Minstrel Cup for nothing.

_…Let's not go there shall we?_

Pyrrha brought her focus back on the battle to see that their opponents hadn't attacked yet and not because they were utilizing the same tactic.

"Oh c'mon! Stop being such a wuss!"

Pyrrha blinked looking over at Blake who looked back at her with a deadpanned look on her face. Yang, the one who had spoken, was currently arguing with her quieter partner over a battle strategy… during the match.

_It seems their team ethics could use a little work…_

"So what should we do now?" asked Pyrrha.

"Well I'd say we take advantage of their distraction in order to take them out," stated Blake, "But since this is a learning setting let's just wait a while longer."

Pyrrha didn't miss the underlying humor in Blake's voice and held a smile of her own.

_This is pretty entertaining… if not a bit embarrassing for them._

Pyrrha stole a glance at the audience only to see Yang's sister hiding her face in her hood. Pyrrha then allowed her eyes to wander a little more towards Jaune and Weiss who were both watching the scene with varying levels of humor, Jaune being on the higher spectrum than Weiss.

"Whatever! Less talking, more punching!"

Yang's boisterous statement brought Pyrrha back into the fight at hand just in time to see the blonde charging at her with her fist cocked back. Pyrrha quickly raised Akouo and intercepted the strike… only to be sent flying backwards due to the force of the impact. Pyrrha quickly flipped and landed on her feet narrowing her eyes at Yang.

_That is a lot of power she holds._

Suddenly Pyrrha felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and turned just in time to see Ren preparing to strike at her from behind. Pyrrha was about to react only for Blake to appear behind her to parry the strike, pushing Ren away from her.

_So they were actually just distracting us so we let out guards down… clever._

Trusting Blake to hold off Ren, Pyrrha advanced towards Yang who eagerly met her halfway, thrusting another power blow at Pyrrha, only this time Pyrrha was ready for it. Still, Pyrrha couldn't help but grunt at the impact. Yang seemed to frown a bit at this.

"Don't tell me that our resident Minstrel champion is getting tired now?" she stated in a bit of disappointment.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed at the mention of her hated title.

"This match is far from over I assure you," Pyrrha stated, her polite smile firmly in place.

"We'll see," said Yang before throwing another punch for Pyrrha to block.

This continued on for what seemed like hours.

_What is taking Blake?_

Pyrrha chanced a look at Blake's situation, only for her hopes to die a bit. Blake and Ren were currently at a stalemate, neither able to land a hit on one another.

_It seems that I'll have to change my strategy._

Pyrrha's eyes flicked back towards Yang who seemed to be getting bored of simply punching Pyrrha.

_You won't have to worry about that much longer._

With that, Pyrrha quickly launched her offensive, completely taking the blonde by surprise. Pyrrha jabbed Milo at Yang's face forcing the other girl to raise hands to block the incoming strike. Pyrrha then took advantage of Yang's momentary blindness to do a leg sweep bringing the brawler to the floor before slamming her shield arm fist down upon the downed warrior, only for her to roll out of the way at the last possible moment. Yang jumped up onto her feet with a grin.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" she said in excitement before charging forward with renewed vigor.

Pyrrha charged forth as well, throwing Akouo forth in front of her. Yang easily batted the shield away, sending it careening off before she continued her charge, not looking back at where the shield was going.

_Got you._

Pyrrha skillfully dodged another attack from Yang before kicking back… right into Akouo, which Pyrrha had brought back via her semblance. The blonde looked a bit dazed as the shield had hit her smack in the back of the head before it continued back onto its master's waiting arm. Yang shook her head before grinning.

"Not bad Cereal Girl! Not bad at all! But you're gonna need a lot more if you…"

Yang's speech was cut short as her eye seemed to catch something. Pyrrha followed her eyes and noticed a long strand of blonde hair hanging from one of the tiny nooks that lined the old shield's exterior metal ring. Pyrrha raised a brow and looked back up at Yang only to feel the air around her starting to shift a bit.

"You…" said Yang, her tone suddenly changing considerably.

Pyrrha's instincts suddenly screamed for her to run as she felt Yang's aura grow heavier.

"You… monster!" growled Yang glaring at Pyrrha with vicious killing intent.

Pyrrha was taken aback by the girl's change in demeanor.

_Is she bipolar? And why are her eyes red?_

Pyrrha had no time to think further as Yang was upon her faster than ever before. Pyrrha barely had time to block the strike, which sent her flying into the wall behind her faster than she could recover from.

"Guh!" she grunted as her back hit the concrete causing her to wince.

_It's almost as if her speed and power became a whole lot better and just because she's vain about her hair…_

Pyrrha's quickly ducked under another jab aimed for her face Pyrrha heard the thundering crash of Yang's fist hitting the wall and looked back only to see devastation.

_ By Monty… she's actually trying to kill me!_

Pyrrha felt herself unsure of what to do. Sure she could take Yang on with equal seriousness, but that would lead to near fatal injuries thus ruling that out.

_What do I do?_

Suddenly Pyrrha felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned in time to see Blake standing there.

"Let's switch," stated Blake.

Pyrrha's eyes widened.

"Wha-?" she started.

"Just trust me," said the raven-haired girl before she took off towards Yang.

Pyrrha hesitated for a split second before shaking her head and searching the room for Ren, bringing Akouo just in time to block an oncoming kick to her waist. Compared to Yang's power thrusts, these strikes were easier to manage. Ren quickly followed up with a flurry of strikes from every angle, trying to find a weak-spot, but Pyrrha was there to meet him every time.

_Compared to Jaune's speed, you are nothing._

After blocking another strike, Pyrrha quickly countered with a horizontal slice from Milo forcing the boy to back flip away from her, earning her some breathing room. Pyrrha took this opportunity to glance back at Blake's progress only to see that the girl seemed to be dodge the blonde with ease, in fact it seemed that she was almost taunting the other girl.

_Well it explains why Yang suddenly lost interest in me._

Pyrrha quickly returned her attention back to Ren who had just recovered from Pyrrha's counter and was staring at her wearily. Pyrrha smirked a bit.

_Getting cautious on me? Sorry, but that's not gonna work._

Pyrrha twirled Milo, changing it into its rifle form before assuming a marksman's stance, her crosshair trained at the boy's head.

BANG!

The bullet sang through the air as it barreled towards its intended target who quickly dodged out of the way. Pyrrha continued to bombard her opponent with shots, not letting him have any breathing room.

_Sooner or later you're gonna have to show me those weapons of yours…_

Pyrrha could sense them, hidden in the boy's sleeves, while she could easily pull them out herself; she wanted to see how he unsheathed them. She was not disappointed as after dodging a couple more shots, Ren seemed to have a enough as he planted his feet and thrust his arms out, causing a couple of green knife/pistols to fly into his hands from his sleeves, unfolding into their combat forms up exiting. Ren then peppered Pyrrha with a maelstrom of bullets, which Pyrrha immediately started blocking with Akouo. Pyrrha pursed her lips.

_So he can simply spray bullets at his opponents to keep them at a distance if need be… interesting… but it also leaves his back exposed…_

"Blake!" Pyrrha called without looking backward.

"I know!" came the answer.

Suddenly Ren let out a cry out pain before dropping forward, his weapons clattering to the side revealing Blake standing there. Pyrrha got up from her defensive position, smiling at the girl.

"Thanks for the assist," she said.

Blake let out a smile of her own.

"Anytime, but let's focus on taking down that berserker over there."

Pyrrha calmly looked behind her to see Yang busily swinging wildly around… at what looked like several Blake clones. Pyrrha cocked her head at the display.

"That's… an interesting but useful semblance you've got there," stated Pyrrha.

"Thanks."

Suddenly all the clones dispersed into dust, leaving the blonde confused until she spotted Pyrrha and Blake standing side by side with Ren on the floor behind them. She let out a growl, beating her fists together, promising pain. Pyrrha glanced at Blake, who glanced back and they both nodded before taking their respective combat stances, both having the same expression: "Come get some".

"YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!" roared Yang as she charged forth with all the grace of an angry Goliath.

Blake and Pyrrha rushed forth as well, with Blake at the forefront. Yang threw a punch at Blake's face, but right before it connected, Blake leapt over the girl, leaving a clone in her wake, causing Yang's punch to meet open air, leaving her open for attack. Something Pyrrha took full advantage of. Pyrrha bashed Yang with her shield causing the other girl to reel backwards, but Pyrrha wasn't done. She then, with amazing speed, thrust Milo forth in a series of quick jabs at key points of Yang's upper body, slowly eating away at her aura's protective shield. Yang let out a frustrated roar along with a burst of aura forcing Pyrrha to jump back.

"I'M SOOO THROUGH WITH THIS!" Yang roared angrily.

Pyrrha smirked.

"Well you won't have to worry for much longer," she stated.

Suddenly Yang's eyes widened before they rolled up and she fell forward, unconscious, once again revealing Blake, sheathing her weapons.

"And that is why you don't let anger control you actions," stated Blake, "You miss things that you wouldn't usually miss if you had a calmer mind."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement, beaming at her teammate.

"Good work, you had some quick thinking there!" she said.

Blake smirked at that.

"Actually, I didn't come up with that plan."

Pyrrha blinked and lifted a brow. Blake simply flicked her eyes over to a certain part of the audience. Pyrrha followed her gaze and spotted Weiss and Jaune sitting with smug smiles on their faces. Upon seeing Pyrrha looking at them, Jaune winked cheekily at her.

_Of course… _

Pyrrha shook her head in humor.

"Well, I shouldn't have expected any-."

"Victory goes to Ms. Nikos and Ms. Belladonna!"

* * *

Glynda mused over what she had just seen. By Ozpin's request, she had manipulated the duels so that all of Team ABSN were put in a fight of some sort. Of course it was unfortunate that Ms. Schnee showed little to no effort in her fight with Mr. Winchester, it was disappointing to see how lack luster the boy was despite all his physical prowess.

_I guess that's another point for Ozpin…_

Glynda gazed at the four individuals in question.

_They are quite possibly the strongest team that Ozpin has ever created._

Glynda placed her thoughts in the back of her head.

_Enough musings, I have a class to teach._

With that Glynda began to lecture the class about the fight that had taken place although she noticed that while she started to talk, Ms. Nikos had a slightly irked expression on her face, but it couldn't be because of her, no that couldn't be it at all.


	8. Isolation

**Ch. 7: Isolation**

"A new day! A new horizon!" declared Jaune as he got up from his stretches.

It air was cold with little light as the sun slowly began its climb during the early stages of the day. Jaune was currently in his usual combat gear with his hood down and a blissful smile on his face as he took in the cool air. Next to him Pyrrha had a small smile of her own as she finished up her own stretches. The two made it a habit to do an early morning workout session, even during the weekends. Today was yet another one of those days only this time…

"Who on Remnant says that?" asked Weiss with a mock-annoyed look on her face, her hands on her hips.

Blake silently continued her stretches next to Weiss. Pyrrha and Blake were also in their combat gear while Weiss decided to forgo her "combat skirt" in favor of something more suitable for cardio.

"Oh it's something I got from a book I read… I think," said Jaune with a shrug.

"You think?"

"Hey, you try living out in the wilderness for two years and try remembering a line from a book you read when you were seven."

Weiss simply rolled her eyes at Jaune's retort while the others laughed. Jaune let himself laugh at his own expense before he looked back out at the horizon. It truly was a beautiful sunrise, with the team standing near the very cliff used for initiation as their starting point.

_Ozpin picked one hell of a place to build a school…_

Of course, Jaune had the pleasure of seeing such a sight every morning since the first day that team ABSN was formed during his morning workouts with Pyrrha. Now the full team was out here (after a little convincing for Weiss) and Jaune felt as if the morning was a bit more complete.

_Team ABSN…_

It had only been a week since Team ABSN's first combat class and already they had built quite the reputation among the first years. Especially as their performances only grew stronger with each following combat class. Jaune still remembered hearing the many whispers from their fellow huntsmen in training…

_"Holy hell, is that them?"_

_ "Did you see their fights? Are they even human?"_

_ "I bet that their using some performance enhancing drugs…"_

_ "They must be Beacon's Strongest Team!"_

Jaune almost snorted as he remembered the comments that were thrown out about them. It really showed how much society liked to throw labels on everything.

_Although I don't really mind the last bit._

"Beacon's Strongest Team…" muttered Jaune.

"Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?"

Jaune turned to see Blake standing beside him to admire the sunrise. Jaune turned back to look at the sun as well and made a noise of agreement.

"Well we should also work to become Beacon's Smartest Team as well," stated Weiss in a matter-a-fact tone that she always seemed to use.

Jaune let out a pout.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm trying to get my grades up!"

"I'll believe it once I see results," came the answer.

Jaune simply stuck his tongue out causing Weiss to roll her eyes again. Joking aside, the entire team did not fall short when it came to academics. Despite living out in the wilderness for two years, Jaune did not let that stop him from keeping up with the top of the class. While he (or the rest of the team for that matter) wasn't on par with Weiss' level of academic discipline, he still managed to keep himself above average. It was mostly due to the fact that Weiss had taken it upon herself to become the mock mentor of the team.

_While she doesn't have the charm of Professor Port's lessons, she's still interesting to learn from and knows a lot more than I ever will._

Jaune let out a small chuckle at that before he turned to address the rest of the team upon sensing that everybody else was ready to go.

"Academics aside for the moment, the reason why we're out here this lovely morning is because Pyr and I thought that we should include you two in a little warm-up round before we tackle our classes today," said Jaune with a wide grin.

Pyrrha muttered something under her breath at that and Blake looked at her with a brow raised. Jaune knew the reason for Pyrrha's grumblings and it only made his smile grow wider.

"Something you'd like to share with the class Miss Nikos?" asked Jaune with a big grin, easily hiding his inner musings.

Pyrrha shot Jaune a playful glare before straightening.

"Oh nothing, carry on Drill Sergeant Arc," she stated jokingly.

At this Blake and Weiss started to look a bit nervous as they looked towards Jaune while Jaune himself narrowed his eyes.

_Oh ho ho… you really wanna go there now do you?_

Jaune let his hair hide his eyes as a grin settled on his face.

"I see that you want to make this warm-up more interesting for you and your peers… is that right Private Nikos?" he stated as he raised his eyes to look upon Pyrrha.

Pyrrha met his gaze evenly.

"I can take anything you throw at me," she stated.

Jaune's grin grew wider at this.

_Hehehe… I don't think Blake and Weiss will like that…_

True to his thoughts, Blake and Weiss were starting look paler than usual while looking between the two.

"H-Hey, let's calm down," said Weiss trying to keep her composure, "This only supposed to be a warm-up… right?"

Just like that, Jaune broke the tense atmosphere with Pyrrha in favor of smiling innocently at Weiss.

"Of course! I mean we're only doing ten laps around the Beacon campus!" he stated cheerfully.

At this the Schnee heiress looked at pale as a ghost.

"T-Ten…" she managed to choke out.

"Only ten? My, my you truly are taking it easy on them," said Pyrrha teasingly.

Jaune watched as Weiss looking towards Pyrrha with a begging look on her face. Blake held a stoic expression on her face… so stoic that you'd think that she was a statue. Jaune pretended to ignore all this to look at Pyrrha, challenging grin back on his face.

"Oh? Then perhaps we should up the stakes… let's say… hmm… fifteen?"

Weiss looked ready to cry. Blake was still stoic.

"Hmm… I still think that's low…"

If looks could kill, then Pyrrha would have been reduced to ash (bah dum chi) by the scalding glare sent by Weiss while Blake remained stoic, staring at the rising sun.

"So you say… then let's spice things up with a few dozen pushups and one-hundred jumping jacks?"

At this point Weiss had waterfalls leaking from her eyes while Blake didn't even sound like she was breathing. Pyrrha pursed her lips before opening her mouth to say more only for Blake to suddenly move and slam her hand over it.

"Not. One. More. Word. Nikos," growled Blake with a dark look on her face.

Jaune couldn't take it anymore as he suddenly burst out laughing with Pyrrha following suit.

"You should have seen the look on your faces!" said Jaune between laughs.

Pyrrha just continued laughing leaving Blake and Weiss with looks of confusion on their faces as well as some underlying anger.

_Totally worth it._

In truth this was a small game that Jaune and Pyrrha liked to play before beginning the workout in order to relieve tension and mess with one another. Jaune thought it only fair to bring the rest of their team into the game as well, something that Pyrrha agreed with after some convincing.

"I'm _so _glad you two are willing to laugh at our expense," grumbled Weiss.

Jaune took a deep breath in order to help him control his laughter.

"Sorry, we couldn't help ourselves," Jaune said with a grin, "Believe it or not, this is part of the warm-up to prepare you mentally for the horrors of the classroom!"

Weiss rolled her eyes at Jaune's dramatic phrasing.

"Ha ha, very funny, Arc."

"Aw, don't be mad Weissy, let's just get our laps done and get some breakfast okay?" said Jaune with a wide smile.

Weiss sighed before nodding,

"Yes, whatever let's just get this over with."

Jaune gave a firm nod before putting on his serious face.

"Alright then, twenty laps it is! Let's hustle!"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

Blake never felt so sore in her entire life. It felt as if her entire body was on fire with how much her muscles were screaming after this morning's "warm-up".

_Who the hell even calls twenty laps around Beacon "warm-up"?!_

Oh yes that's right, her crazy leader and his equally crazy partner. Blake sent a glare towards the said individuals whom didn't at all look effected by this morning's run.

_They can't be human. No way in hell._

Next to her Weiss looked no better than her. The poor heiress had her face flat on the desk, her pen barely clinging onto her loosened grip. While Blake at least had the advantage of her years in training with the White Fang, Weiss had no such endurance training at least from what Blake could tell. In all honesty, however, Blake wanted to follow her partner's example, but it was through sheer willpower that Blake was able to stay awake. The class they were currently taking, however, was making this task exceedingly difficult…

"… and right when I was about to deal the final blow to my mighty opponent I was assaulted from behind by the rest of the swarm!" boomed Professor Port's voice.

All around her, Blake saw heads planted on top of desks; some students even brought their own pillows and the professor either noticed and didn't mind or didn't notice at all.

_Honestly, how self-absorbed do you have to be in order to not notice that?_

Blake looked over at Jaune and Pyrrha.

_And how the hell are those two enduring this?_

Yet another point to Jaune and Pyrrha not being human was the fact that these two were able to listen to the _full _lecture given by the boisterous professor, in fact, they actually seemed to _enjoy _it. Jaune always held that innocent look of child-like amazement, drinking in every word the professor had to say, it actually would have looked endearing if it weren't for the fact that the stories were extremely boring. Pyrrha on the other hand held her normal smile on her face as she listened politely, but Blake noticed how the Mistral Champion leaned forward in anticipation at certain parts of Port's lecture. Like she was doing now.

Blake sighed heavily.

"Well someone didn't roll off the right side of the bed this morning."

Aaaand there was yet another reason why Blake was in a fowl mood right now. This reason had a name. And her name was Yang Xiao Long. Yes, for the week that the team was at Beacon and for the rest of the semester, Team ABSN sat beside Team RRNY; the only team that could semi-keep up with ABSN, but was also quite annoying. It didn't help that Blake still felt awkward around Yang after what had happened a week ago during lunch and the fact that the blonde girl just _wouldn't stop talking_.

"So what's gotcha so tired Blakey?" asked Yang with a grin.

The girl's voice was so loud; it sounded like she was shouting.

_How the hell is the professor not hearing this?!_

Blake pinched the bridge of her nose before she continued doing what she always did when the Y of RRNY tried to talked to her: look straight ahead and pretend not to hear. Unfortunately this time Xiao Long seemed determined to get a peep out of the stoic faunus girl.

"Were you up all night?" said Yang, leaning forward, trying to get Blake's attention, "Or did you perhaps start your morning off with a _Yang_?"

Blake simply continued to look ahead.

_Just ignore it and it'll go away._

"Ah c'mon… don't be so cold, Blakey," drawled Yang.

Blake was _really _starting to lose her patience. Next to her, she felt Weiss stirring and sensed the subtle glances from Pyrrha and Jaune.

"We're all friends here, right?" asked Yang.

"Since when were we friends?"

The words escaped Blake's mouth before she could stop them and the worst part was that Blake couldn't find any real remorse in her. It seemed to do the job as well if the lack of response from the blonde was any indication. This didn't last, however as Yang's aura started to flare a bit as her anger rose.

"What's your problem? I was only trying to create small talk!" she growled.

"In the middle of class?" Blake retorted back bluntly, "Obviously you don't care for your academics."

"Oh that's rich coming from someone whose partner is rubbing her make-up all over her notes!"

Something in Blake snapped at that. Make a comment about her, _fine._ Make bad comment about the girl whom she considered as precious as Margaret was… Blake heard her pencil snap at that as she turned her eyes upon Yang for the first time. Already her mind was pointing out the many vital points that would make for a swift dea-.

"Professor Port!"

Just like that Blake was startled out of her dark thoughts as she turned her attention to her leader who was standing up with his up. In fact the entire class' attention as on the blonde boy along with Yang's.

"Yes my boy?" asked Port jovially.

Jaune let out a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head.

"May I use the bathroom?" he asked meekly.

The entire class started laughing at Jaune due to the sheer childishness of the question. Behind Blake, Yang was banging her fist against the desk as she guffawed at her leader's expense, as if the heated exchange from before never happened. Blake's heart sank when she realized what her leader had just done.

_Once again Jaune bailed me out._

"Well… since you have been such an excellent listener, I suppose I can allow it just once, but make sure to hurry back so you do not miss to much of the thrilling details!"

Jaune gave an eager nod.

"I won't be long professor! I want to know how you defeat the Deathstalker Queen!"

Port let out a loud laugh.

"Then hurry back my boy!"

Jaune nodded and made to leave, but not before sending Blake a subtle glance of concern. Blake watched her leader run out of the classroom as the laughs of the entire room chased him. Blake felt sick to her stomach knowing that it was her fault that he was forced to endure this.

_I can't believe I almost lost control of myself again…_

Blake grit her teeth in self-loathing, tears threatening to fall out only to feel a soft hand grasp her own. Blake turned to look at Weiss who was now wide awake and sending a hard scowl at Yang while Pyrrha held a look of guilt on her face. Blake let out a pitiful sigh.

_This is going to be a long day…_

* * *

Weiss was _not_ happy. Why was she not happy? Well if you take into account the result of Jaune and Pyrrha's "warm-up", the events of Professor Port's class, and the fact that Blake was still held up on said events, then you would understand why Weiss was not happy. She was _livid_.

_How dare that… that… __**hooligan**__. Who the __**hell**__ does she think she is?!_

It was a wonder that Weiss hadn't marched up to the said hooligan and wringed her neck. She never liked the members of team RRNY. While it was true that they were quite skilled, their personalities just did not suit her tastes and yet she had tolerated their antics like any professional.

_Now though…_

Weiss looked towards Blake, who was sitting beside her. It was currently lunch period and ABSN sat at their usual spot where they could eat in peace, their reputation helping in that regard. Blake held her usual stoic expression on her face making it look as though she was fine, but Weiss knew better and so did the rest of the team if the concerned looks weren't a clear indication. Weiss saw the slightly slumped posture the faunus girl had and the slight wilt of her hidden ears causing the bow atop her head to sag a bit. Weiss was instantly reminded of Blake's outburst upon the rooftop and quite frankly it was an image that she never wanted to see from Blake again.

_I will deal with those fiends later, right now Blake needs me._

In the back of her mind, Weiss wondered how Winter would have handled this situation… hell she had already seen how Jaune handled it in Port's class. Weiss really had to admire Jaune's quick thinking and know-how when it came to defusing certain conflicts. Cool blue eyes wandered over to the blonde in question who was currently absently playing with his food as if thinking of how to approach the situation before him. Weiss could not blame him for this; nobody could really prepare for every scenario when it comes to the matters of the heart. The first time that Weiss had comforted Blake, she relied upon instinct, but now she was completely lost at what to do.

_Should I perhaps hug her again?_

Weiss immediately shook her head.

_No, we're in open public, I'm sure Blake wouldn't appreciate the attention something like that would bring._

Weiss chewed her lip, completely at a loss at what to do. She had hoped that with the help of Jaune and Pyrrha, she could come up with something, but so far it seemed that the two had both drawn blanks. Weiss let out a mental sigh.

_Then I guess it's up to me._

Weiss steeled herself and opened her mouth to speak only for Blake to interrupt her.

"I'm fine guys, I just… was a bit tired is all," Blake said in a monotone voice.

Weiss noticed the slight flinch from Jaune and Pyrrha at that comment due to most of the fault lying upon their shoulders. Weiss shook her head.

_We'll deal with that later._

Weiss focused back on Blake and put her hand on the other girl's shoulder. Weiss felt her heart twist a bit at how Blake seemed to jump at the contact immediately reminding her of Blake's look of fear on the rooftop. This time, however, Blake did not look her way, in fact, Blake made it her personal mission to _not_ look the heiress' way. Weiss sighed before she steeled herself once again as a certain moment with her sister popped into her head.

"Blake," she said.

The raven-haired girl refused to turn. Weiss allowed her eyes to harden.

"Blake," Weiss stated firmly, "Look at me."

Blake hesitated before slowly turning to look at Weiss. While Blake's expression remained blank, Weiss saw the pain the swirled in Blake's eyes; something she knew due to seeing those same eyes on that rooftop. Weiss kept her composure despite this and met the other girl's eyes evenly.

"It's not your fault."

Blake blinked at Weiss' words before making to turn away.

"Weiss I'm not blam-," she started to dismiss.

Weiss did not let that happen as she put her hand on Blake's chin and firmly held the other girl's face in place.

"It's not your fault," she repeated.

Blake looked a bit uncomfortable as she started to squirm a bit in Weiss' grip.

"Weiss what are…"

"It's not your fault."

"…"

Weiss watched as the wall around Blake slowly started to crack once again letting her know that she was getting through to the faunus girl.

"It's not your fault," repeated Weiss one last time with a small smile on her face allowing her hand to cup Blake's cheek.

Slowly but surely Blake's emotions cracked through the stoic shell until finally a lone tear escaped the dam. It was then that Weiss allowed her to lean into her shoulder as she let out choked sobs mumbling 'I'm sorry' repeatedly as she did so. Weiss just let her cry on her shoulder as Jaune and Pyrrha watched on in solemn silence. Weiss knew those looks, as it was the same one she had when _she_ first witnessed Blake crying. For moment a humorous thought lingered into her mind.

_Who knew that the quiet one would be the most open about her emotions?_

Weiss closed her eyes and let out a slight snort.

_I guess this is what happens if you keep your emotions bottled up for too long._

"Daw, how cuuuuuute!"

It was just like that that the very fiend who caused all of this ruined the moment. Weiss felt Blake tense up in her grasp.

_Why now of all times…_

"What do you want," she stated coldly without looking at the speaker.

Her words must have had their desired effect, as the brute seemed to pause before answering with a bit of an edge to her voice.

"Look, I was just teasing okay? I didn't mean anything by it."

Weiss didn't say anything as she continued to embrace Blake, if nothing else, to keep her most likely conflicted expression hidden from the growing audience around them much to Weiss' growing irritation. It was then a new voice entered the conversation, one that Weiss knew to be as Ruby's due to it's higher pitch.

"What my sister is trying to say is that she is sorry and if there is anything she can do to make it up to you?"

_The diplomatic approach… how quaint._

Weiss looked towards her leader. Cool blue met ocean blue for only a second before the answer was made clear.

"You can leave us alone," stated Weiss bluntly.

There was a pause before Ruby spoke again.

"Please let us make it up to you! I'm sure that if we can just-."

"No."

Ruby's voice immediately faltered at the cool edge Weiss put in that single word. Weiss used this opportunity to allow Blake to pull away so that Weiss could get up and turn to fully address the entirety of team RRNY who had apparently been there the entire time. Weiss unconsciously tightened her hands into fists as she allowed her resolve to show.

"My team and I tolerated your team's antics for this entire week while giving subtle hints to leave us alone," stated Weiss, "But you continued to push thinking that repetition would let you get your way."

Weiss gauged the reactions of RRNY as the paused to let the words sink in. Ruby had a guilty look on her face, the brute had the decency to look semi-guilty, Ren remained stoic, and even Nora seemed a bit more subdued.

"This time, however, I am putting my foot down on this matter," continued Weiss, "You will not continue these disruptive interactions and allow us to get better acquainted with you on _our_ terms."

Weiss turned her head to focus her gaze on the brute.

"Anything less, and you can forget having a friendly relationship with us, because quite frankly, we are reaching the end of our patience."

Having spoken her peace, Weiss sat back down next to Blake, her sole concern back to her partner's well being. Judging from the slight aura flare from the brute, her admission was not taken well.

"Well there was no need to be so rude ya s-."

"Maybe Weiss wasn't being clear," stated Jaune in a surprisingly cold voice.

Weiss turned to see Jaune holding a calm, but intimidating glare towards the members of team RRNY. Weiss wasn't surprised at the shock that was written all over team RRNY's faces at the normally "goofy" kid.

"You will leave us alone and never bother us again."

With that Jaune turned to look at Weiss and Blake, his expression softening instantly.

"C'mon guys, let's get out of here."

Jaune turned to his partner and motioned her to get up as well before standing up and walking past the stunned RRNY, not even sparing them a passing glance. Pyrrha leveled them with a small frown before following her leader out. Weiss turned to Blake.

"Let's go Blake," stated Weiss softly.

Blake sat silently for a while before nodding slightly. The two got up and made to follow the rest of their team, but not before Weiss sent one last glare towards RRNY. She didn't even notice how dead silent the cafeteria had gotten upon ABSN's leave.

* * *

Pyrrha sat upon the grassy field, looking out towards the setting sun. Classes for the rest of the day was an awkward affair as news of the drama in the cafeteria spread like wildfire via the notorious rumor mill. After the last class, Blake led the team to a secluded hill with a humbly sized apple tree nestled atop of it. The hill itself overlooked the school and was right next to Emerald forest's cliff. Nobody really hung out here due to the fact that the journey was usually too much of a hike. But ABSN currently needed the peace after today's events. Pyrrha looked back towards her team. Weiss and Blake nestled against the base of the tree; Blake was hugging her legs with her face hidden behind her knees while Weiss was softly stroking her hair as she leaned back against the tree with her eyes closed. Jaune was perched upon one of the tree's many branches, eyes scanning the area around them like a watchful guardian.

_And what am I doing?_

Pyrrha felt herself droop a bit at that as she turned away to look upon the sunset again.

_What am I doing to contribute to the team?_

Pyrrha thought back to what she actually contributed to her team other than her skills as a fighter and everything came up blank. Jaune was the steadfast leader who was willing to make sacrifices for his teammates and would always watch their backs whether or not they watch his. Weiss was the mother of the group, always willing to be that shoulder to lean on when things get. Blake, while a bit frazzled currently, was always the one who was willing to listen to any of her teammates problems whatever it may be. So what did Pyrrha contribute? What _could_ she contribute? The champion's life was all that she knew.

_You can't survive in the real word being all dolled up and spoiled in the life of a celebrity. Maybe you should go back._

Pyrrha wanted to ignore the venomous voice in her head, but lately it was growing more apparently with each passing event. Doubt started to creep into her heart as she stared down at the grass.

_Was I really meant to be here? Maybe Ozpin made a mis-_

"YEEAAAACHOOOOOOOOOOOWWWAAAGH!"

**THUD!**

Pyrrha was startled out of her thoughts at the sudden commotion and spun around to see the cause. It was none other than her leader who was currently no longer on his perch and was rather lying on the floor with a befuddled expression on his face. Beside him, both Weiss and Blake were looking at him with shock and concern. Pyrrha was the first to move and was at Jaune's side helping him sit up, in an instant.

"Jaune? Are you okay?" she asked.

Jaune allowed himself to be helped into a sitting position as he stared up at the branch he was sitting on. He continued to stare up at the branch and for one dreaded moment Pyrrha feared that he was delirious from earning a concussion. That is until he suddenly bit into a random apple that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"This is a good apple," he stated.

There was silence for a while before suddenly the girls broke down laughing at the sheer oddity of the comment after such a tremendous blunder.

"Of course you would make that comment after falling of tree branch," chuckled Blake, "I thought you lived in trees for two years."

Jaune stuck his tongue out.

"Hey, I'm out of practice."

"You've only been out of the forest for a week."

"Irrelevant!"

"You're a dunce," stated Weiss as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey!"

Pyrrha giggled at her teammates' antics. It felt like forever since her team was bright and happy again. Pyrrha wasn't dumb; she knew that Jaune had fallen on purpose in order to get the group to forget their worries with his humor. It certainly seemed to help Blake judging by the return of the blunt sarcasm along with the small smirk. It was almost as if Blake had never broken down if one ignored the tear streaks that still stained Blake's face. Pyrrha watched her teammates interact with one another, her smile slowly started to ebb as her self-doubt returned.

_Would I ever be able to be like them?_

Pyrrha looked out towards the sunset once again as if the setting star would hold her answers, but of course it had nothing for her. Sudden movement to her left put Pyrrha on instant alert only to see Jaune flop down onto his back beside her.

"Welp! Time to take a little nap before we head back," he stated happily.

"Shouldn't you not do that just incase you have a concussion?" asked Blake as she settled down next to Pyrrha with Weiss beside her.

Jaune let out a melodramatic grown before sitting up.

"Fiiiiiine, you win Dr. Belladonna," he mock-grumbled.

Pyrrha felt a bit warmer with her teammates around her, allowing her smile to return to her face.

_I worry too much, if I have my team with me, I have nothing to worry about._

"Do not think that you two are off the hook just yet though," said Weiss suddenly.

Pyrrha froze at Weiss' tone before trading a fearful look with Jaune knowing full well what Weiss was mentioning when she spoke those words. When it came to Weiss Schnee, never forget the ancient phrase: "Schnees never forget" (At least that's what Jaune told her). It was then that Jaune suddenly scooped Pyrrha up in a bridal carry causing Pyrrha's face to heat up as she clung onto Jaune's neck for dear life.

"YOU WILL NEVER TAKE US!" he declared loudly before taking off down the hill.

"Get back here!" shouted Weiss.

Meanwhile Pyrrha was laughing the entire way.

_Nothing to worry about at all._


	9. Abandoned

Dearest Readers:

So I have been looking through your guys' comments (which I read all of them btw I thank you all for you support!) and I couldn't help but notice a rather troubling sight. This being a verbal attack to an honest made critique to my story. Now I want to make something perfectly clear: I welcome any and all critiques about my work, in fact, I encourage it so that I may correct my mistakes and better myself at my craft. That said, I would also prefer it if these critiques remain critiques and not those little "flame" comments as they do not help anybody. Bearing all this in mind, I would ask you guys to please keep all negative comments towards one another to yourself, because at the end of the day all comments made on my story are made to ME not you. I thank you for trying to defend me, but that is largely unnecessary. Other than that I hope you enjoy this next chapter of Four ABSN Souls.

Kindest regards,

BloodAvenger42

**Ch. 8: Abandoned**

White clouds… purple skies… the rising sun… a nice cool breeze… a beautiful girl a little ways away…

_This must be one of those paradise fantasies most of those guys have._

Jaune let out a small snort at his thoughts before sitting up to admire yet another beautiful sunrise after a good warm-up with his partner. This time, unsurprisingly, without the other two members of team ABSN despite all begging Jaune had done for another team activity.

_Then again I don't know if I want to go through another one of those "Schnee Educational Bootcamps" again._

As revenge for putting Weiss and Blake through such a "harsh" training regiment (warm-up!), Weiss took it upon herself to give Jaune and Pyrrha some lessons on proper writing as well as a monster of a textbook to read on mathematics. Poor Jaune and Pyrrha were up almost for the rest of the night trying to finish it all along with their assignments under the ever-watchful eye of the Schnee heiress herself. Jaune shuddered at the memory.

"And everyone says Goodwitch is scary…" muttered Jaune.

"You getting a cold Jaune?"

Jaune looked over his shoulder to see Pyrrha had finished up her after warm-up stretches and was walking over to him with that same smile on her face. Jaune smirked at her.

"Naw, just thinking of our resident mother hen and how scary she can be when she wants to be," he said cheekily.

Pyrrha laughed at that as she settled down beside him casting her own emerald eyes towards the sunrise. Jaune took this time to admire the girl beside him. The way that the sunlight hit her glistening skin due to the small amount of sweat that the girl accumulated during the run, the way her eyes seemed to glow a bit brighter as the light reflected from them, and the way her red locks flowed along with the breeze. She was the picture of beauty and yet Jaune knew that there was something very key missing.

_A proper smile would be it._

Jaune wasn't dense when it came to matters of the heart. He knew that "grand" smile that the Mistral Champion always wore was but a barrier for all the true feelings that she kept locked away. Jaune didn't want Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral Champion on his team; he wanted Pyrrha of ABSN.

_But of course before I can have the right to do that, I have to be able to open up myself._

Jaune heaved a sigh causing his companion to look over at him in concern.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Jaune looked at the girl out of the corner of his eye, he saw the concern there, but he also noticed the underlying bit of desperation in those emerald orbs, the origin unknown. Jaune knew that kind of desperation… it was the same kind of desperation that he saw whenever he looked into the mirror. Jaune broke out of his thoughts as he threw on his best, biggest grin.

"Oh nothing other than the fact that I'm living every straight man's dream right now," he said.

Pyrrha cocked a brow in confusion.

"Oh?"

Jaune waved his hands at the scenery.

"I mean c'mon! A great view, wonderful weather…" Jaune winked at Pyrrha, "a beautiful girl."

Jaune gleefully watched as Pyrrha tried to hide a blush as she pouted at him.

"That was cheesy and you know it."

Jaune simply stuck his tongue out before he hopped back onto his feet and stretched.

"Welp! We'd better head back before Momma Weiss get's angry us," he stated as he offered a hand to his partner.

Pyrrha took the offered appendage and hoisted herself onto her feet as well.

"You've really gotten into the whole family thing haven't you?" teased Pyrrha as the two started back towards the dorms.

Jaune nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! Weiss is the momma, Blake's the broody younger sister, and you're the mature older sister!" listed Jaune with a grin.

"And where does that leave you?" asked Pyrrha.

Jaune ran up in front of Pyrrha and struck a dramatic pose.

"Why I'm the super awesome uncle that everybody loves!" he declared while making a horrible attempt to make his voice sound deeper.

Pyrrha let out a giggle at that.

_Score one for the boys back home; I'm making girl's laugh left and right! In your face o foolish father of mine!_

"I see that you're still into making a huge fuss in the morning."

Jaune looked over at the source of the noise to see Blake falling into step next to the pair reading a book as she did so as per usual.

"Yop!" stated Jaune, "And I see that you're still our ever-studious bookworm!"

Blake put on a small, coy grin.

"I thought I was supposed to be the broody little sister?"

"You can be both!" argued Jaune with a pout.

Pyrrha simply giggled again.

_Aaaaaaah the sound of giggling girls, Jaune Arc you are the MAN!_

Jaune marched towards the rooms with vigor to his step as he allowed himself to get lost in this feeling. Sure he and his team have run into some rough patches through out these first few weeks of Beacon, he'll be damned if he was going to let that bother them. Team ABSN would endure through it all and Jaune would prove once in for all that he deserved to wear the name of Arc and carry on its legacy.

_Maaaaaaan I haven't felt this good in SUCH a long time!_

"Someone seems to be particularly happy today," observed Blake as she peaked over at Jaune from behind her book, "What brought this on?"

Jaune shrugged with his smile still on his face.

"Dunno, just feel like I can take on the world right now, must be something in the water."

Blake rolled her eyes in response to that answer while Pyrrha let out another giggle. Jaune grinned back at the girls before taking in his surroundings and realizing that they were almost at the dorm. He made towards the door only find himself narrowly avoiding stepping on an envelope that sat just at the foot of the door. Jaune blinked curiously down at envelope before picking it up and turning it over to see who it was addressed to only to be surprised to see his name written there and curiously only his first name.

_Wonder who this is from…_

"What do you have there Jaune?" asked Pyrrha.

Jaune shrugged as he opened the door to the ABSN dorm room.

"A letter maybe, not sure, but it's addressed to me," he said as he entered the room.

This seemed to intrigue Blake as he heard her close her book softly.

"Do you have any idea who sent it?" she asked.

Again, Jaune shrugged.

"I have no idea, nobody really wrote a letter to me before, plus this is addressed with only my first name."

"That is a very casual way to address someone, especially through letter format."

Jaune took notice of Weiss, who had just stepped out of the bathroom while brushing her hair.

"Oh, and good morning to you all by the way," she said almost as an afterthought.

_Oh Weiss._

Jaune internally chuckled before he sat down on his bed and started to open the envelope.

"We'll find out pretty soon now won't we?" he said, his grin still stuck to his face.

_Damn my cheeks are hurting with all this smiling._

"Aren't your cheeks hurting with all that grinning you're doing?" asked Blake as she settled down onto her own bed with her book open once again.

Jaune stuck his tongue out at her as he opened up the letter within.

"Complain all you want Belladonna, but this smile is gonna stay on this handsome mug for a whi-."

Jaune's words caught at the back of his throat as he read the contents of the letter. He forced himself to read the words hand written in fine ink in a very familiar style; one that Jaune knew all too well. Hell if the handwriting alone wasn't a good indication, the glaring signature at the bottom of the page would suffice on it's own.

_**Julius Arc, Head of House Arc**_

* * *

Blake took notice of the sudden pause in Jaune's speech immediately. The whole team did, and they all looked upon their leader with concern as his seemingly unbreakable smile disappeared within seconds. This made Blake wonder what the letter's contents were.

"Jaune?"

Pyrrha's voice of concern cut through Blake's musings. Blake watched the Mistralian cautiously approach the suddenly despondent blonde boy whose expression was, for the first time, completely unreadable. In fact, the expression he wore was almost lifeless, something that chilled Blake to the core with its familiarity. Meanwhile Pyrrha tried again, reaching out to put a hand on the boy's shoulder as she hesitantly repeated his name only to jerk back in surprise when the boy suddenly stood up, the letter gripped in his hand so tight that his knuckles lost their color.

"I… need some air," stated Jaune in a strained voice.

With that said, Jaune immediately strode out of the room in a hurried pace, closing the door a bit loudly behind him. The room was silent upon the blonde's exit as the girls took in what had just transpired within the past few moments. Each girl had their own set of thoughts about the event, but Blake couldn't be bothered at the moment as old memories started to resurface.

_Adam…_

Blake shook her head.

_No, Jaune isn't Adam, Jaune would never become like that!_

Blake suddenly got up as well. She had to know. Thus without a word to her teammates, she slipped out the door as well, just spotting the blonde round the corner towards the stairwell. Blake stealthily followed, allowing her past skills to kick in once again.

_Once you have the target's scent, you will always be able to find them again, no matter where they are._

Blake narrowed her eyes at the notion of her team leader whom she had bonded with as a potential target.

_But if he ends up becoming like Adam…_

Blake thought of everything she actually knew about her team leader and slowly realized she knew next to nothing. Sure she knew he had his secrets and always _seemed_ so open about everything, but the more she though about it, the more she began to realize Jaune was exceptional at _misdirection_. He had made his team believe that he was willing to answer every question when in reality he twisted the conversation so that nobody knew a _thing_.

_No… I have to be overreacting, this can't be…_

_**But you can't disprove this theory.**_

Blake faltered in her movements for a split second as her imagination betrayed her before she shook the image at.

_I can't make baseless assumptions; I have to know all of the facts before coming to a conclusion._

It was that thought that brought Blake back to the real world… and what made her realize that Jaune was in view standing still. Worse, he had Crocea Mors now holstered on his belt. Blake froze, her eyes wide in fear. Had she been discovered? For a moment Blake had grim thoughts of a possible fight with her leader at that moment and with the state he was in anything was possible. Blake felt her ears involuntarily press themselves onto her skull as she steeled herself for the possible outcome.

_"Always have an escape plan."_

Such was the philosophy that Adam had always followed, it was also one that Blake followed as, despite who said it, it was sound advice. At this moment however, it didn't look like there were many outs especially for whom she was dealing with. Jaune stood there for what seemed like hours before finally moving. Blake's eyes followed the blonde's hand as it lifelessly tossed a familiar, crumpled up piece of paper towards a nearby trashcan before the blonde stalked off, seemingly not noticing the ex-White Fang assassin's presence. Blake didn't relax until Jaune was out of sight and hearing-range before she finally allowed herself to collapse against the wall, breathing heavily.

_Thank Oum…_

Blake stared down at her shaking hands. She had never been so scared in her entire life, and with all the things she had seen, it was an impressive feat.

_Who would have thought that my seemingly innocent leader would be the one who scares me the most… even more that Adam ever had._

Blake couldn't help but let out a choked laugh at the irony of it all. The man that had made her feel so safe throughout the first few weeks of her new life had instilled so much fear into her in one swift moment. Blake placed a hand over her heart, which was still hammering against her ribcage rapidly.

"H-Hey, are you okay?" said a slightly accented voice.

Blake jumped in alarm. She was still recuperating from her scare and thus couldn't truly sense anybody coming up from behind her. Blake quickly jumped into a defensive position, readying for an attack only to see an unfamiliar face and a pair of long bunny ears. It took only a second for Blake to remember who this individual was:

_Velvet Scarletina._

Blake didn't meet Velvet in person, but apparently she was part of the second year team known as Team CFYY and was picked on a lot due to her status as a faunus. It made Blake sick to her stomach, but in the end she did nothing…

_Some hypocrite I am…_

Blake let out a sigh before lowering her guard a tad and holding the bridge of her nose.

"Sorry, you kind of… startled me," said Blake as disarmingly as she could.

"I-It's alright I did kind of… come out of nowhere… somehow…"

The rabbit faunus trailed off in her speech as she started fidget in place while looking at the floor. Blake let out a labored sigh.

_I really don't want to deal with this right now._

Blake straightened herself out and schooled her features.

"Well I'm fine as you can see, now-."

"He missed on purpose," blurted Velvet, cutting off Blake instantly.

Blake found herself caught off guard for the second time that day.

"Huh?" she asked, her brain unable to create a better response.

"The letter in his hand…" said Velvet shifting uncomfortably, "he missed the trashcan on purpose."

Blake blinked at the younger girl before she looked over at the said trashcan and sure enough the letter was sitting at the base of the bin.

_I must have not noticed in my… fear._

Meanwhile Velvet's ears started to twitch a bit as the other girl's discomfort became more evident.

"W-Well I have somewhere I need to be… w-will you be alright?" asked Velvet.

Blake stared at her fellow faunus before she shook herself out of her trance and nodded.

"I should be alright… thank you."

Velvet nodded hesitantly before walking away in a hurried pace. Blake watched her go for a few moments before making towards the trashcan to pick up the letter. She held it up in front of her before hesitating. This would surely have many answers, but was it her right to pry?

_"He missed on purpose."_

Blake looked back down the hall where she spotted Velvet disappearing around a corner. Blake's hand tightened around the paper in her hand.

_I won't stand by and watch like I had with Adam. Not this time._

Determination fill Blake's being as she stalked off towards her goal. She wanted to help her leader, but first she needed help. She needed to get this letter to the rest of the team so they could read it together and decide what to do from there.

* * *

Weiss didn't know what to think. The day had started off well enough with Jaune and Pyrrha going to do their inhuman morning "warm-up" and Blake leaving the room to catch up on a book of hers, leaving Weiss to take a nice warm shower to start off the day. It was then ruined by a single sheet of parchment, allowing all of ABSN to see a side of their leader that they had never seen before. Now Jaune was gone with Blake immediately going out to tail him leaving Weiss to comfort a very distraught Pyrrha. Weiss currently sat beside the said Spartan whose head was bowed, her bangs covering her eyes from Weiss' view.

"Pyrrha, I don't know why Jaune acted like that, but you shouldn't beat yourself up because of it," said Weiss softly, "It's not your fault."

Pyrrha didn't reply she simply stayed in her position like a stubborn mule. Weiss allowed a frown to settle on her face as she made to say something else when suddenly the door to the ABSN dorm opened up causing both girls to look up immediately. Upon seeing who was at the door, Pyrrha's hopeful expression immediately faded as she looked back down at the floor again. Weiss however shot up and approached her partner who stood there with a complicated expression on her face, as she clutched a familiar piece of paper in her hand.

"What happened Blake? Did you find him?" asked Weiss.

Blake stared at Weiss for a moment as if having an internal debate before she shook head.

"No, but I _did_ find this next to a nearby trashcan."

Blake presented the abused letter to the heiress. Weiss narrowed her eyes at the girl in front of her.

_She's clearly lying, but we can deal with that later._

Weiss retrieved the letter from Blake and held it out in front of her, reading aloud for Pyrrha's benefit.

**Jaune,**

** It has come to my attention and the attention of the entire Arc clan that you have taken something very precious with you on your fool's errand. You may have come under the false assumption that such an ancient relic is your birthright, but by the decree of the ancient Arc Code it is in the place of the current Head of the Clan to pass it down to the next scion. This makes you a thief and therefore a traitor, a crime punishable by death.**

Weiss had to stop in order to collect herself; her hands were shivering as rage started to boil within her. Weiss didn't even need to look at Pyrrha to know that the girl wasn't taking the contents of the letter well either. Blake simply watched on without an expression on her face. Once Weiss managed to regain her composure she read on.

**But as I am feeling generous, I grant you one chance of redemption: You will relinquish your petty mission of pride and surrender Crocea Mors to its rightful owner. Do this, and I shall spare you from execution and instead choose the only fit punishment below it: banishment.**

Weiss' eyes widened.

_Banishment…_

Had her own father not also threatened to banish her when she announced that she wanted to go to Beacon? Weiss steeled herself for the final words of the Arc patriarch.

**I shall arrive at Beacon Academy later today. If you truly wish to make the Arc family proud, you would be wise to obey this request without complaint. Failure to do so will result in severe consequences.**

** Julius Arc, Head of House Arc**

Weiss stared at the paper for a few moments more before she let her hands drop as she stared up at the ceiling tears starting to form in her eyes.

_So I'm not the only one who has a father with no heart._

Weiss closed her eyes and let out a pained sigh as her head dropped back to a bowed position. She thought back to all the struggles she went through in order to please her father, she worked to mold herself into her father's ideal heiress so that she could one day make him proud, but it was never enough… _nothing_ was enough. Now it seemed that there was a man out there was potentially _worse _than her father and this person was somehow the father of her leader.

"Weiss."

Weiss slowly looked up at the mention of her name. Blake, the speaker, seemed to wilt a bit upon seeing Weiss' face. Unsurprisingly really, she really must have looked twenty years older with how tired she suddenly felt. Here she was lamenting for years about how her father never paid her any mind when her leader had been dealing with the _scorn_ of his own father for all of his life.

_Which is better? To be ignored or be constantly ostracized?_

Weiss almost let out a bitter laugh at the thought.

"To think that our leader of all people could be carrying a burden like this all along and still remain strong…"

"Jaune is a strong man, we all knew this and that was why none of us complained about him being the leader," answered Blake.

Weiss blinked before she let out a chuckle.

"I must be thinking out loud now, forgive me."

It was then that Weiss realized that Pyrrha was no longer in the room, not that Weiss was surprised. The Champion was probably looking for their wayward leader this very moment.

_She is doing what she can to help her leader, but the question is… what can I do?_

Weiss walked over to the window and stared out, her eyes wandering aimlessly, unseeing as she allowed the words of the letter to repeat in her head.

_You may have come under the false assumption that such an ancient relic is your birthright, but by the decree of the ancient Arc Code it is in the place of the current Head of the Clan to pass it down to the next scion…_

_ Birthright…_

_ Head of Clan…_

_ Arc Code…_

_ Arc…_

_ Jaune Arc…_

Weiss' expression slowly creased to a frown of thought.

_Ancient Relic…_

_ Arc Clan…_

_ Crocea… Mors…_

Weiss straightened up as realization came crashing down upon her.

"How have I not realized before?!" she cried.

Weiss immediately spun around and made her way towards the door of the dorm barely taking note of Blake who had a shocked expression on her face.

"Arc Clan, Crocea Mors, Arc Code! How could I have missed those signs!" she muttered angrily to herself, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"Wait, Weiss!"

Weiss stopped short and looked to Blake who looked absolutely lost and confused as well as slightly hurt. Weiss immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry Blake, I just so excited that I…"

Weiss let a timid smile through unable to say anything else. Blake stared at Weiss for a moment before shaking her head with a small chuckle.

"You know, you and Jaune are more similar than you let on."

Weiss blinked and cocked her head.

"What do you mean?"

Blake simply waved her off.

"It's nothing, so what did you realize and where are you going?"

Like that, Weiss' previous urgency returned as her revelation came flowing back.

"To the library, I think I know how to help Jaune."

This seemed to grab Blake's full attention, her eyes wider than Weiss had ever seen the faunus' eyes go.

"How?"

Weiss smirked before motioning for Blake to follow her.

"Let's just say that the Schnee family and the Arc family go way back."

* * *

Pyrrha honestly didn't know what she was doing at the moment. Currently she was wandering the halls in search of the leader that may or may not want to really see anyone, especially with what the contents of the letter should be. She didn't know what she would do when she found her leader or what she would say. Hell she didn't know why she was one searching for Jaune in the first place. Blake had chased him and didn't find him and Weiss would have been the best suited for comforting… _anybody_.

_Because he's my partner._

Yes, partners. Partners were supposed to be there for one another and be someone the other could lean on.

_**And yet what have you been to him besides a liability?**_

Pyrrha's steps faltered for a bit as her thoughts became more venomous.

_**You don't know how to comfort anyone; you don't know how to contribute to your precious "team", you don't even know how to correctly TALK to someone.**_

Pyrrha felt her center of balance starting to give way forcing her to lean on a nearby wall for support.

_**Face it Pyrrha, the only thing that you are good at is fighting and that is all you will ever be good at, what you were BORN to do.**_

Pyrrha shook her head vehemently.

_No… I refuse…_

And yet the more Pyrrha thought, the more she realized that all she really contributed to the team was being the slightly better fighter of the group.

_**You see? You were always meant to live your life al-**_

"Uh…"

Pyrrha's head shot up at the sound of a new voice and was surprised to find an equally surprised Ruby Rose frozen mid-step after just rounding the corner. The two stared at one another as an awkward silence pervaded the hallway. Finally Pyrrha managed to regain her bearings as she pushed herself off the wall, placing her well-practiced smile back on her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were standing there, was I in your way?" asked Pyrrha.

Ruby seemed to stare at Pyrrha for a while longer; something that made Pyrrha bit anxious inside, not that she showed it. Suddenly a sad, knowing look crossed Ruby's face.

"You're having problems within your team aren't you?"

Pyrrha's eyes widened.

"H-Ho-," Pyrrha immediately cut herself off, "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Ruby simply sighed at Pyrrha's answer.

"It doesn't matter, everyone has their secrets," said Ruby before she looked back up at Pyrrha with a serene smile that didn't truly fit on the innocent-looking girl's face, "But secrets can't be kept secret forever."

Pyrrha felt herself involuntarily twitch at that. She thought of her own secrets and her own unwillingness for anyone to find out about them.

_**Not even your own team.**_

Pyrrha grit her teeth at that.

_They're better off not knowing at all._

"Nope!"

The young Rose once again put Pyrrha into a state of surprise, this time through her loud interjection to her not-so-private thoughts.

"W-What?"

Ruby smiled childishly.

"Nope!" she repeated, "You can't keep secrets from your team because they're your family! Family tells each other their secrets!"

Pyrrha reared back at the notion.

_Family?_

Pyrrha shook her head.

"But Jaune would nev-."

"Nope!"

Pyrrha stared at the girl before her reeling at the pure defiance the girl was showing. She tried again.

"But I can't-."

"Understand what Jaune is going though?" finished Ruby, "Then don't! Nope! Nope! And nope!"

Pyrrha was really starting to get fed up with the girl in front of her at the point of visibly restraining herself from strangling the girl in front her. If Ruby noticed this she showed no signs, simply continuing to smile up at Pyrrha.

"Listen Pyrrha, you can't truly understand what someone is going through, you know why?" said Ruby, "Because you aren't that person!"

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at Ruby.

"Ruby where are you-."

"But what you _can _do is be there for them, comfort them, let them know you're there," said Ruby as she made to go around Pyrrha, "Because in the end everyone wants _somebody _to care."

Pyrrha was left frozen with her mouth open as the words sank in.

_Everyone wants somebody to care._

"Focus on what you _can _do, not what you _can't_," said Ruby before she chuckled sheepishly, "That's what my mom told me anyway."

Pyrrha stood up straight as she heard those words.

_Focus on what you can do…_

Without thinking, Pyrrha wrapped the smaller girl into a tight hug causing the other girl to let out a small "Hrk!" She felt tears falling from her eyes as realization finally sank down upon her. She knew what she needed to do and it was all due to this very unlikely but wonderful source.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" whispered Pyrrha sincerely.

"No problem…" she heard Ruby gasp.

Pyrrha quickly released the girl before continuing with her search with a renewed vigor.

_I know that I'm only good at fighting, but I can still be there for Jaune._

Pyrrha allowed a smile to sit upon her face before she took a glance back at Ruby who stood looking a bit frazzled. Pyrrha laughed at the sight.

_Ruby Rose… maybe I should give you another chance afterall…_

Pyrrha then refocused on her goal.

_But that can wait right now Jaune needs me._

* * *

Jaune stood a familiar tree atop of a lonely hill looking out towards the horizon. The sun was slowly making its final descent, allowing the exhaust emissions from the city to turn it into a bright orange. It would have been beautiful if Jaune weren't currently so depressed.

_Thank you for ruining my good mood dad._

Jaune shook his head as he remembered the concerned looks on his team's face and how they must have felt when he had shut them all out and walked away. Call it stubborn male pride or just plain stupidity; it made no difference to Jaune. Jaune slowly lifted the hand the held the condemning note only to find that it was no longer there. It took a while for Jaune's memory to set itself straight and for him to realize what had happened during his walk. Jaune smiled bitterly.

_It seems I can't hold myself back any longer…_

Jaune stared out at the sunset again and he never felt so lonely in his life.

"Quite the beautiful view, wouldn't you agree Mister Arc?"

Jaune was startled out of his brooding and looked over his shoulder in surprise only to tense even more when he saw who it was.

* * *

Ozpin looked out at the sunset with a sad smile on his face, neglecting his usual coffee mug in order to focus on the task at hand. He owed the boy that much. And thus, Ozpin looked Jaune straight in the eyes, taking in the pain and confusion the boy surely felt and accepting it into his soul as he addressed Jaune again.

"So tell me, why are you all the way out here on you own?"


	10. Question of Identity

**Ch. 9: Question of Identity**

Jaune found himself at a loss for words. Here he was in the middle of brooding, wondering where his career as a hunter was going to go, and now standing before him was the very man who offered to help him up the path to his lifelong dream. And yet…

"O-Oh, I'm just… uh… enjoying the sunset!"

Jaune found he couldn't even get past his inhibitions for this man. Ozpin, however, didn't seem to buy into the façade that Jaune had tried to put up. The older man smiled wryly.

"If you're going to lie to your headmaster, at least put some effort into it."

Jaune stared at Ozpin for a moment before letting out a weak chuckle.

"Was I that obvious?" he asked.

During most days, Jaune would have been able to pull a stunt like that off with a bit more success. Unfortunately due to the emotions raging like a torrent within his soul, he found himself a bit out of sorts.

"Well my first clue was the fact that the team that you seem to be attached to like glue is nowhere in sight," stated Ozpin, "That alone calls for suspicion."

Jaune blinked before thinking back to all the times he wandered out alone… which amounted to zero up until this point.

_Huh, we were that close knit, eh?_

Just thinking about that allowed a moment of pride to swell through Jaune, even if it was just a fleeting one.

"I have never seen a team in Beacon bond as quickly and as closely as I have seen in your team Mr. Arc," said Ozpin staring back out at the sunset, "Well, at least in a while."

Jaune thought he sensed a hint of melancholy at the headmaster's last few words, but perhaps that was just his own. Instead he focused on the pride that welled up in his heart for his team and their accomplishments. Team ABSN had been the top of their year and rivaled in prowess with teams of later years. A small smile slowly made his way to his face.

_We made quite a name for ourselves during the past few weeks…_

Jaune's smile faded just as quickly as the letter's contents found their way back to the forefront. Jaune looked down at the ancient weapon still clutched in his hands.

"There is something I have always meant to ask you since I had first met you, Mr. Arc," stated Ozpin, startling Jaune out of his thoughts.

Jaune looked at Ozpin in confusion.

"Headmaster?"

Ozpin simply walked up next to Jaune and stared at the sunset. After a bit of silent contemplation, Ozpin finally spoke again.

"Why did you want to become a hunter?" asked Ozpin.

Jaune blinked at that.

_Why did I want to become a hunter?_

"I…"

_Just tell him he probably already knows._

"I… well I… joined to protect people from the threats of the Grimm of course!" said Jaune, "Like everyone else here."

_Damn it Jaune._

Ozpin let out a sigh.

"Mr. Arc, must we make an agreement to not to lie to one another?"

Jaune flinched at the subtle edge in Ozpin's voice.

_ Of course he would be able to see through that…_

Yet despite this fact, Jaune still couldn't bring himself to speak plainly to Ozpin. His prolonged silence didn't go unnoticed by the headmaster.

"Perhaps I should restate the question," said Ozpin, looking towards Jaune again, his sharp emerald eyes staring into Jaune's soul with a very familiar glean to them, "What drives _you_ in a fight, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune found his mouth automatically ready to tell Ozpin his half-assed answer, only to pause upon seeing the intense gaze that the headmaster gave him. Jaune felt like he was in danger of being torn asunder by just the man's look alone and that made Jaune weary as well as afraid. The feeling immediately vanished when the headmaster closed his eyes and sighed in something akin to disappointment.

"I see, so you still are trapped within your inhibitions," he muttered.

Upon hearing the headmaster's disappointment, Jaune immediately felt guilt and self-hatred.

_Ozpin provided me with so many opportunities as well as the chance to meet Pyrrha, Weiss, and Blake and yet I'm just shutting my door on all of them._

Suddenly Jaune sensed a change in the air around him causing the hairs on the back of Jaune's neck to stand up.

"It seems there is only one way to get the truth."

It was only pure instinct that allowed Jaune flipped away from a strike that would have pierced his heart from behind. Jaune landed in a defensive position with Crocea Mors readied for combat only to slacken a bit upon seeing who his attacker was. Ozpin stood there with what looked to be some sort of rapier in his hand as he stared down Jaune like a hawk would its prey.

"You'd best find your fighting spirit Mr. Arc," said Ozpin with an eerie calmness to his voice, "Otherwise you soon won't have the ability to protect anyone."

With that, Ozpin lunged forward.

* * *

Blake absent-mindedly browsed books in the middle of the labyrinth that Beacon called a library. She was currently helping Weiss search for a certain book on the "Arc Codex" as Weiss deemed it.

_Who knew that Jaune is a part of an ancient clan… or at least was a part of one._

Blake recalled the events leading up to this point.

_"What do you mean?" asked Blake as she caught up to Weiss._

_ "Have you heard of the ancient clans of old that existed before the formation of the Four Kingdoms?" asked Weiss, as she walked in a brisk pace._

_ "Only vaguely," said Blake, "I know that there were four major clans: the Schnee Clan, the Yamakazi Clan, the Silverblood Clan, and the Pólemos Clan. They were the clans that eventually established the four kingdoms."_

_ Weiss smiled._

_ "So you know the basics like everyone else, but what if I told you there was a fifth clan?"_

_ Blake's eyes widened at that._

_ "You couldn't possibly mean-."_

_ "Oh but I do, the Arc Clan was the fifth clan that retreated into obscurity after the creation of the kingdoms, thus why not very many people know of them right off the bat."_

_ Blake allowed the information to sink in before letting out a small chuckle earning a confused look from Weiss._

_ "Sorry, I just thought of how funny it is that I'm in a team with two descendants of ancient clans of the past."_

_ "Three possibly."_

_ Blake blinked and looked over at Weiss._

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ Weiss shook her head._

_ "I'll tell you later, right now I want to focus on getting to the library, there's something I want to look up about our family histories."_

_ Blake nodded at that. This was about Jaune everything else could wait._

_ "What are you looking for?"_

_ "I need to find a book on the Arc Codex and I do recall Beacon's library having a copy."_

_ Blake lifted a brow. _

"_Why would a book on ancient clan laws be in a library for huntsmen-in-training?" asked Blake._

"_Why would a book about ninjas that are in love be in the same said library?" countered Weiss with a small smirk._

_This caused Blake to blush a bit._

"_H-How did you…"_

"_You'll find that there aren't very many things that escape my scope," said Weiss with a knowing wink._

_ Blake couldn't help but feel like Weiss had a double meaning to her words, but decided to ignore it for the time being. The two huntresses-in-training entered the vast library where Blake automatically started scanning the countless books that lined the shelves that seemed to stretch on forever. It was truly a bookworm's paradise._

_ "Alright, now we need to find the book," said Weiss with an air of authority._

_ Blake nodded waited for the girl to take the lead, only to find the Schnee heiress wasn't moving._

_ "Uh… Weiss?"_

_ "The only problem is that I'm terrible with directions and don't know the exact title of the book I'm looking for."_

_ Blake stared at her partner for a moment before allowing her hand to collide with her forehead as she let out an exasperated groan._

_ "How do you not know the title of the book that you are looking for?!"_

_ "Well I'm sorry! There aren't many books on the Arc Codex!"_

_ "That doesn't even work as an excuse!" _

_ "I know! Shut up!"_

_ "Ahem."_

_ Blake and Weiss found themselves clamming up immediately under the stern glare of the librarian who was staring at them from over her glasses. The glare had the same effect that a certain disciplinary had on most students._

_ "Students, please refrain from raising your voices in the library."_

_ Blake and Weiss quickly nodded their heads, not wanting to cause the woman any more ire. When she saw them nod, suddenly the librarian let out a cheerful smile._

_ "Splendid, and the book you are looking for is simply known as _The Arc Codex _and it can be found in the history section."_

Blake shivered at the memory of that almost haunting smile.

_I'm never getting on a librarian's bad side._

Blake shook her head of her thoughts.

_Enough, I have a job to do; I might as well do it._

At least that was her thought, if it weren't for a certain title that caught her eye.

_History of the Faunus_

The book itself had the beginnings of wear and tear, but still looked in decent repair despite its age. Blake slowly ran her hand down its spine as she thought of the contents that the old pages could hold. Carefully, Blake slid the book off of its perch and immediately stumbled a bit after finding out just how heavy the book was. After getting a good grip, Blake opened the book to a random page and by some cruel trick of irony, information about the White Fang showed up.

_"The White Fang is your family, Blake, now and always."_

Blake's grip on the book tightened as Adam's words swirled around her head. Those were words spoken when she thought Adam as more than just a mentor, when she thought of the two of them possibly being more.

_But that was before Adam and the rest of the White Fang turned to darkness._

Blake let out a sad sigh her eyes trailed across the words about the organization that she had left. The more she read, however, the more she was starting to realize that this _wasn't_ about the new White Fang, nor even the peace-keeping White Fang that Margaret knew. In fact, this wasn't about an organization at all!

_This is about one person… but why?_

Blake immediately flipped back to the table of contents to figure out the reason for this.

"White Fang… White Fang… Here we go under the… Heroes and Legends category…"

Blake blinked as she stared at the text before flipping back to the chapter she was on.

"The White Fang, a faunus warrior like none had ever seen, it is said that he was physically and mentally superior to most faunus and humans alike and was one of the fiercest combatants of the Grimm only seconded by the legendary Holy Warrior Joan Arc…

Blake's eye's narrowed at the mention of the last name, "Arc".

_Why is Jaune's ancestor listed in a Faunus history book?_

Blake's eyes continued through the text:

"Ancient legend has it that The White Fang was a man of pure intent, thinking of the good of all; so much so that his charisma earned him quite a few followers. This group followed the White Fang's ideals of peace even after his eventual death. To keep the legacy of the White Fang alive, the group took on his title, spreading his name as one of peace and love…"

Blake let out a small scoff at that.

_I'm sure The White Fang is turning in his grave right now._

Blake then admired the context of the book once again, a small smile on her face.

_To think that the White Fang's namesake was a hero of such a nature._

"Blake?"

Blake nearly yelped out loud by the sudden interruption, but managed to gain control of herself, if only barely. She then turned to address Weiss who stood there with a curious look on her face. Tucked under her arm was another rather heavy looking book.

"Weiss, uh… did you find what you were looking for?" asked Blake closing the book quickly so that Weiss couldn't see the contents.

The heiress didn't say anything at first, eyeing the book in Blake's hands before she pulled the book out from under her arm and presented it to Blake, its title glaring up at her with a shiny golden embroidery:

_**THE ARC CODEX**_

* * *

Weiss stared down at the ancient book before her. It must have been years since anyone has opened such a text for anything. The presence of such an ancient text also brought up many questions, one of them being how Beacon even got its hands on such a rare treasure of knowledge.

_This speaks highly of Beacon's library; I can only wonder what other books this library holds…_

At the last part of her thoughts, Weiss' eyes wandered over to her partner who was sitting next to her, still cradling the book that she found in her arms as if it were a newborn babe. Blake kept the title hidden, hoping to keep Weiss from finding out what it actually was, but unfortunately for her, any decent scholar would recognize the book to be Rory Douglas' _History of the Faunus_. Hell, Weiss was even a fan of Douglas' work, finding his works on all aspects of Remnant's history to be fascinating. Yes, she enjoyed history, what of it?

_That being said I really wish Prof- Dr. Oobleck would speak a bit slower._

Weiss internally sighed.

_That book also entails that Blake still doesn't trust me enough to reveal her true heritage._

Weiss shook her head.

_Enough, right now I must focus on helping out Jaune._

Weiss then brought herself to the real world, clearing her throat and undoubtedly startling her faunus partner, even if the said faunus tried to hide it.

_Again, who are you trying to fool Blake?_

"Well, I guess it's time to start sifting through this large book on Arc Clan politics," stated Weiss noting the deflated expression on Blake's face at the mention of the word "politics".

"How will this help Jaune?" asked Blake, already sounding bored.

"Don't be like that," admonished Weiss as she started her search, "I'll have you know that this book has everything to do with Jaune's current situation."

"Yes, but how?"

"I was getting to that," stated Weiss patiently, "See, in any society with a decent government system will always have certain rules set for certain actions and each of these rules will have requirements attached to them."

Blake simply blinked at Weiss, telling her that she was listening.

"Now we know from Jaune's note that his sword is apparently an inheritance and that his father is finding reason to believe the sword is his own," continued Weiss, "This means that the law of inheritance is written in some way that allows for political loopholes to form."

Weiss didn't even need to look at her partner to know that she had already lost her audience, but she kept pressing forward, more for her own benefit than anything else.

"Another thing to address is the type of punishments that are to be executed to punish certain actions, such as death by execution or in Jaune's case…"

Weiss stopped and closed her eyes.

_"We shall settle this matter in a duel, should you win, you may follow this foolish dream of yours with the support of the Schnee family funds, but should you lose, you will be banished from that day so you may never taint the Schnee family name ever again."_

"Weiss?"

Weiss looked over to see Blake's concern palpable in her piercing amber eyes. Weiss smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, this just brought back some unpleasant memories," she said.

Blake's eyes widened a tad, picking up at what Weiss was implying, but Weiss didn't let her get a word in about it as she continued with her explanation and her study of the Arc Codex.

"As I was saying, in Jaune's current case it means banishment," finished Weiss narrowing her eyes as the word "inheritance" entered her vision.

"So… how does all this connect?"

Weiss could practically feel Blake's confusion about the entire subject and couldn't help but let out a slight giggle, no doubt earning a dirty look from the faunus.

"Quite simple really," stated Weiss with a grin, "This is the Arc Codex, the book that holds all of the laws of the Arc Clan."

Weiss stopped the explanation there, relishing at how Blake sat there waiting for more information.

_I think I know how all my tutors felt while they were teaching me._

"And?" asked Blake in annoyance.

Weiss held in her laughter this time as she read the information she needed until she came across a certain, very interesting article.  
"Let me restate what I said," said Weiss as she read with a smile, "This is the Arc Codex, the book that holds _all_ the laws of the _Arc Clan_."

"Yeah…?"

"You're a smart girl Blake, look at the facts that I just presented to you."

Blake fell into silence as Weiss continued to read up on the Arc Codex carefully, taking care not to miss any detail.

"You started talking about government and how there are rules attached to them," started Blake, "then you went off to talking about the contents of Jaune's letter…"

"And what did I talk about specifically from the letter?" asked Weiss.

"You… said something about inheritance as well banishment… and that the Arc Codex is a book that holds all of the laws of the Arc…"

Suddenly Blake slapped her on forehead.

"How did I not pick up on this? The Arc Codex is the Arc Clan's government in writing, the document that sets the rules for all the individuals living within the clan..."

"And inheritance and banishment are very specific subjects of any law type," added Weiss, "Couple that with the fact that Schnee politics are very similar and you have a perfect map to the right direction."

_ "These are the tenants that the Schnee family obeys: _Das Gesetz der Schnee (_The Law of Schnee_)_. Take every one of these words to heart my daughter, and never forget what the Schnee family stands for."_

Weiss felt her mood dip a bit at yet another reminder of her father, but managed to keep it internal.

"Perfect for you since you're terrible with directions," jabbed Blake with a small smirk taking Weiss out of her thoughts.

Weiss simply smirked right back.

"Well I'll have you know that careful consideration and planning can go a long way, especially since I've found a way to help our friend out of this, ahem, "political shit storm" that he finds himself in."

Weiss shut the book with a loud "thud" in order to emphasize her point… that also sent a cloud of dust right into her face sending her into a huge coughing fit.

"Looks like you're prone to forgetfulness too," stated Blake.

Weiss could hear the smile on the other girl's face.

"Shut it you," grumbled Weiss in mock annoyance.

* * *

Pyrrha made her way to the place where her leader was most likely taking refuge, no doubt brooding about the contents of the letter. This area being the secluded hill in the far reaches of campus. Yet as she made her way there, she found herself wondering what she would even say to her leader. Hell, she didn't really know much about socializing when it came to the matters of the heart.

_"Focus on what you can do, not what you can't."_

Ruby's words floated to the surface allowing Pyrrha to relax a bit. She really did owe it to the little reaper, she was wiser then her physical appearance let on.

_Maybe I should give team RRNY a second chance… or if not that then at least Ruby… cute girl like her wouldn't be too harmful to-_

Pyrrha blinked at her thoughts.

_Did I just call Ruby cute?_

Pyrrha shook her head at that with her cheeks slightly hinting at a pinkish color.

_Wrong time to be thinking of that Pyrrha! Focus on Jaune!_

As soon as the subject of Jaune surfaced, Pyrrha's thoughts turned solemn again.

"Is there anything else I can do for Jaune besides being there for him? Any other way I can support him?" Pyrrha asked herself.

_"Family tells each other their secrets!"_

Pyrrha found herself slowing down at that thought.

_Family…_

Pyrrha thought of Blake. The girl never really said much, but she would always be willing to fix Pyrrha with one of her rare smiles and nods in order to show her support.

_"Just trust me."_

Pyrrha remembered those words during the fight with Yang and Ren. Pyrrha couldn't have trusted Blake more in that regard. With that Pyrrha's thoughts turned to Weiss.

_"So long as you know that your team is here for you then take all the time you need."_

Weiss always had this almost maternal aura surrounding her, always seeming to want to care for all members of team ABSN no matter how small the issue was.

_ "What was that, Darling? Can it wait a moment I need to make myself pretty for the cameras!"_

_ "Did you need something Darling? Well let me just finish this deal and we can talk all we want alright?"_

Pyrrha's smile ebbed a bit upon remembering her mother, the same mother that, in most respects, abandoned her to solitude. Pyrrha's fame blinded her mother to her own daughter.

_"Remember, your team is here for you."_

And just like that Weiss' words brought Pyrrha comfort again. Weiss was like the mother that Pyrrha never had, giving Pyrrha the maternal support that she had always desired through all those years drowning in her own sorrow.

_"Don't disappoint that crowd Pyrrha!"_

The words of encouragement from her father throughout her years of fame usually managed to sneak in something about the audience somewhere along those lines.

"_Well I have to say that was executed quite well wouldn't you say so, partner?"_

On the other hand, Jaune's first praise to Pyrrha's handiwork meant more to her than a thousand praises from her father. And beyond her father, all of the "haters" and the paparazzi trying to find any flaw in the "Invincible Girl" amounted to nothing to one phrase Jaune had told her as they ran from the Death Stalker during initiation.

"_Don't worry about it Pyr! Everybody makes mistakes and it was also my fault for even thinking of heading in there!"_

Pyrrha smiled lightly at the memories that continued to flow through her mind of all the antics she had been through with Team ABSN with Jaune at the helm.

_I have a good team… a good family._

For once in a very long time she felt a small semblance of peace, not perfect mind you, but it was there. She really owed it all to the little leader of RRNY. Of course like most good things in life, it must end at some point and for Pyrrha it ended when she spotted her leader kneeling in exhaustion with only his sword to prop him up. Standing over Jaune's tired form, was a familiar figure, holding a rapier of some sort to Jaune's neck. It was then that Pyrrha saw red.

* * *

Jaune gasped for breath as he struggled to get back up. He had known that fighting the Headmaster of Beacon would be had, but this was an even worse match up than a Goliath fighting an insect. There was literally no competition. Ozpin was superior in speed, strength, and agility despite his age and Jaune's only line of defense was his natural smarts and _a lot_ of luck. But just those could only get you so far in such a match up and so here Jaune was on the precipice of defeat with the feeling of cold steel up against his neck.

"I must say I am disappointed Mr. Arc," said Ozpin, "I would have hoped you would find your answer through this duel."

Jaune only had strength to answer with a snort.

_Like a one-sided beat down would have told you anything._

"It seems I am left with no choice," continued Ozpin with an air of finality.

Jaune released a grim smirk at that.

_So that's it? This is how I spend my final moments?_

Jaune's first thought was towards his team.

_While not all of my life was great, at least my final few months were filled with more joy than I could ever have hoped for._

Jaune let out a labored chuckle.

"Do… your worst… Ozpin," he managed to gasp out.

While he couldn't see his face, Jaune was sure that the older man was still holding that stoic expression of his. Jaune closed his eyes and awaited the inevitable. It was only then did he sense the approach of a third party… Jaune's eyes snapped open when he realized who exactly it was.

"Pyrrha?" he whispered as he turned his head.

The girl herself was standing there with a look on her face that Jaune had never seen before. Pyrrha looked absolutely _livid_, her emerald eyes flashing in an almost maniacal way with her aura flaring about her like black fire. She looked practically demonic.

"It seems that I have just found means to do my worst Mr. Arc, I hope you have your answer soon," stated Ozpin.

Jaune's head spun to look at Ozpin with wide eyes.

_No… No he couldn't mean-._

"You'd best think quickly," continued Ozpin as he turned to face Pyrrha, "Because I do believe that this fight may be one to the death."

* * *

Weiss and Blake looked up from their conversation.

"What was that?" said Weiss.

Blake narrowed her eyes at the sensation.

"I don't know, but I think it came from our usual hangout spot."

Weiss looked to Blake in incredulity.

"How can you tell?"

Blake looked back to Weiss grimly.

"Let's just say that I've had this feeling before and leave it at that."

Weiss closed her mouth and nodded, motioning Blake to take the lead. As the girls made their way out of the library, however, Weiss caught sight of an approaching airship in the distance. She paid it no mind figuring it to be an early flight.

* * *

"It seems that Beacon is as lively as ever."

Two figures stood on the deck of the airship as it floated over Vale towards its destination. The smaller, more feminine figure, the one who spoke, tossed her hair as she sighed.

"I wonder what is going on _this _time."

The other figure chuckled at that.

"In due time my daughter, in due time," he said in an almost aristocratic voice, "But first we must focus on our true goal."

The female figure turned her head towards the male figure,

"I remember, father."

The male figure put a hand on the female's head.

"You would do well to Sierra, for this marks a new chapter in our family's great story," the figure stated before leaning on the railing.

The female, or Sierra, looked at her father with a small smirk,

"One free of the failure that taints this family's name?"

Julius Arc smirked as he stared at the approaching school.

"Yes my daughter, on this day we shall see to it that the Arc name becomes pure once more."


	11. Confrontation

**Ch. 10: Confrontation**

Jaune could only watch in fascinated horror as he watched his partner fight what seemed to be an even battle against Beacon's own headmaster with a ferocity he never dreamed to see on Pyrrha's features.

_Is this what you've been hiding behind your mask?_

He of course had his suspicions about the character she had always presented to her team and to everybody else for that manner. She never truly got angry at anything and was always mild mannered even around the members of ABSN, in fact it was almost as if she made more of an effort to reel in any anger that she held within her, but this?

The very way that Pyrrha currently fought was nothing like the style that she had used to fight before. This was almost like watching another Yang who had her hair tampered with, just throwing powerful strikes like a maddened berserker. The only difference is that despite all of her anger, Pyrrha's natural instincts still seemed to be intact allowing her to make quick and terrifyingly intelligent decisions. The traits of a perfect warrior.

Jaune then turned his head towards Ozpin who was facing the brunt of this attack expecting to see that same blank expression that had become the headmaster's signature in Beacon. Instead…

_He's… smiling?_

Yes, the headmaster of Beacon was indeed smiling... To the point where he was almost showing teeth, his piercing green eyes meeting Pyrrha's own green evenly, with a hint of glee. It was the look that one would see on a child who had finally gotten what they wanted for Christmas or in the case of this, a warrior who had finally found a worthy opponent. It seemed that Ozpin had shared a similar situation with Pyrrha in regards to appearances to others.

_…No, there's more to this._

Indeed, true to Jaune's perceptions, he watched as the two warriors danced in this battle of pent up savagery and saw many similarities. Not only in the way they fought, but sea of emotions that were flying through their eyes. Sure there was the anger and, dare he say it, gleefulness, but Jaune also saw something else deep within Ozpin's eyes: sadness, regret, guilt, longing. Before Jaune could get a better read upon these emotions, however, they were gone like a candle light that was mercilessly doused.

_Did I just imagine it?_

Jaune shook his head of the haunting image. This was not something he could dwell on, not now, not while his partner was in potential danger.

_"I do believe that this fight may be one to the death."_

Jaune gritted his teeth.

_What the hell does Ozpin want me to say? That I'm fighting for the sake of my stupid honor? What the hell is that going to do to stop this fight?_

_**Do you fight for honor or for the approval of the Arc family?**_

Jaune froze at that.

_"What drives _you_ in a fight, Mr. Arc?"_

_ I…_

The constant sound of metal banging against metal sounded as a constant reminder of the battle happening before Jaune, which in a way sounded like the ticking of a clock.

Clang. Ting. Clang.

_"What drives _you_ in a fight, Mr. Arc?"_

_ I… I wanted to prove…_

_**You wanted to prove to your father that you could be a worthy scion to House Arc, which is why you allowed yourself to be trained in a fighting style that clearly didn't work for you. But that is not why you fought.**_

Clang. Ting! Bong!

_"What drives _you_ in a fight, Mr. Arc?"_

_No… I went into solitude to train so that I could prove that I was more than just someone to be coddled that I wasn't weak…_

Clang! Clang! Ting!

_ I put my heart and soul into my training so that I can become strong!_

_**And stronger you became. Now what?**_

Clang! Shink! Clatter!

Jaune's eyes widened as Ozpin disarmed Pyrrha. Milo clattered to the floor nearby.

_**What drives you now? You have just been banished by the very family that you are trying to please. Technically you have nothing.**_

It was becoming clearer that Ozpin was still leagues ahead of Pyrrha as he slowly forced her into the defensive.

_"What drives _you_ in a fight, Mr. Arc?"_

_**You have no home now.**_

Pyrrha desperately tried to bash Ozpin with Akouo only for him to nimbly dodge out of the way.

_"What drives _you_ in a fight, Mr. Arc?"_

_**You have no family now.**_

Pyrrha quickly threw Akouo at Ozpin with an incredible feat of strength only for the same result to occur and it also resulted in Pyrrha receiving a sword hilt to the face.

_"What drives _you_ in a fight, Mr. Arc?"_

_**Your precious sword is being taken away.**_

Jaune watched as Pyrrha fell onto her back, Akouo imbedded into the apple tree leaving her completely at Ozpin's mercy, yet despite this she still growled defiantly up at Ozpin who held his sword to her neck.

_"What drives _you_ in a fight, Mr. Arc?"_

_**You have **_**nothing**_** left.**_

"…No."

Jaune didn't really know what happened next, or how it happened, but one moment he was on his knees staring at a duel between his partner and the headmaster of Beacon, the next, he was holding Pyrrha in a bridal position, away from danger. Without turning, Jaune addressed Ozpin.

"You ask me what drives me in a fight, Ozpin?"

Ozpin didn't answer, nor did Jaune care that he didn't. He instead looked down at Pyrrha, who seemed to have shaken herself out of her bloodlust and was now staring at Jaune with wide eyes, a pink tint across her cheeks due to the position she was in. Jaune gently placed Pyrrha back on her feet before turning to look towards the headmaster who looked back with his passive mask.

"Would you like to find out?" asked Jaune with a small smile on his face.

Ozpin answered with a smirk of his own.

* * *

Blake and Weiss hurried along towards ABSN's usual meeting place. As they drew closer, Blake couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety especially after seeing the occasional flash of light and feeling the flares of activated semblances. In fact, she remembered feeling Pyrrha's aura flaring, but in a much wilder way compared to how Pyrrha usually fought

_Whatever's happening up there, I hope Jaune and Pyrrha are all right._

"Hurry up you useless beast!"

"I-I'm sorry miss."

Blake's ears perked at the rather snobbish voice that echoed across the campus. The sight that greeted her when she turned had her blood boiling. Standing there was a blonde woman who looked to be in her early twenties yelling at a hired hand who was sitting on the floor with baggage discarded to his sides where he fell. He was a faunus.

_It is because of acts like this that the current White Fang exists…_

It was acts like this that also drove Blake to become more secluded before she had met Margaret. Hell, Blake wouldn't be surprised if the next day, this boy ended up meeting up with the White Fang in order to join their cause. The recruiters were always told to keep a sharp eye out for cases like these, for they only helped strengthen the resolve of White Fang members.

_A cause that was corrupted from its original purpose._

Blake thought back to what she had read from that history book, of the warrior known as "The White Fang" and the original group that was created in his name. To think that time had twisted these ideals so much over the years and the proof stood just in front of that dust ship begging for his employer's forgiveness. Blake wanted to say something, to protect him, but doing that would endanger her cover and most likely make matters worse for the boy.

_It doesn't mean I have to like it._

Suddenly another blonde woman who looked slightly younger than the first walked up to her. Just by a glance, Blake could tell the two were sisters.

"Now, now Sierra, you mustn't be too harsh on Melissa, for cheap labor is good labor in her eyes, plus she swept up quite the bargain," said the second blonde woman speaking with a theatrical flourish.

The first blonde woman, or "Sierra", turned to give her sister a pointed glare.

"Cheap labor also means poor quality, Claudia, and from what I'm seeing before me my point holds true!"

"Claudia" put a hand onto her mouth and let out a giggle that sounded rehearsed.

"Tis true unfortunately, but can it truly be helped? Poor thing, it must be hard being inferior to those above him," stated Claudia in an overly saddened tone.

"I cannot agree more sister," replied Sierra before the two started laughing.

It took all of Blake's willpower not to reach for Gambol Shroud while watching this. It was just too cruel, but what could she do? There were too many logical factors telling her that she _shouldn't_ go forward and defend her fellow faunus. Blake gritted her teeth in frustration as she watched the hired hand bow his head in shame. Blake then shut her eyes not wanting to stare at the scene any longer.

"I believe I have heard enough of this."

Blake's eyes shot open to stare at the scene before her once again. Only this time there was a third party joining the fray…

_Weiss?_

That's right; Weiss was standing beside her the entire time, but what was she doing now? Blake watched as Weiss strode forward towards the sisters in a very similar way she had done for the cameras of the Atlas press. Blake couldn't help but admire how gracefully the heiress walked, with sense of purpose that Blake wish she had. Blake couldn't see her expression, but judging from the slight nervousness emanating from the sisters, Blake could tell Weiss wasn't happy. Weiss stopped before the two sisters, before summarily blowing them off by turning towards the downed faunus boy who looked slightly frightened. What happened next was a surprise to everyone.

"Are you okay?" asked Weiss as she knelt down and held out a hand for the boy to take, a gentle smile on her face.

Blake's mind was reeling at the scene before her. Despite who it was, Blake couldn't get it out of her head that a Schnee, _a Schnee_, was lending a helping hand to a faunus. Sure Weiss had always been kinder to the members of Team ABSN, but after seeing how she acted around others outside of their circles, Blake was sure this was not an action that Weiss would perform especially given her upbringing.

_But you only saw how she reacted to other humans._

Blake stopped at that. That's right. Team RRNY was an all-human team, and all other students that Weiss had to deal with face-to-face had all been human. No faunus would dare cross paths with a Schnee.

_How ironic my case must be._

Blake shook her head and brought her attention back to the present where the boy hesitantly took Weiss' hand allowing her to hoist him back onto his feet.

"T-Thank you M-Miss Schnee," he stated with a low bow.

Weiss simply stopped him mid bow and pushed him back into a straightened position.

"No need to bow to me, I'm just here to set the records straight," she said before returning her stare towards the sisters.

At this point Blake was glad she couldn't see the heiress' expression; from how the blondes were reacting it had to be intimidating.

_In a way it reminds me of when I first saw her._

"If you're so superior you should be able to carry your own baggage instead of complaining like children," stated Weiss coldly.

At this insult, fear was replaced by anger as the two women glared at Weiss.

"Why you insolent brat! How dare you speak towards me in such a manner?" growled Sierra, "I am the rightful heiress of the great Arc line!"

"If we are speaking in manner of clans, then might I remind you that the Arc Clan is a forgotten clan and therefore weaker in political power than the Schnee Clan?" countered Weiss coolly.

Blake smirked at Weiss' smooth handling of the two Arc women…

_I never thought I'd be rooting for a Schnee…_

Suddenly Blake did a double take on the subject matter.

_Wait… Arc?_

Blake immediately took in the features of Claudia and Sierra and immediately felt the need to slam the palm of her hand against her forehead.

_Of course! How could I have been so blind?!_

_**Perhaps because you were too busy lamenting about faunus treatment and the fact that you were doing nothing to help.**_

Blake pushed the venomous thought aside and focused on the members of the Arc family before her. If members of the Arc family were here, it could only mean one thing…

_But so soon?_

"What is going on here?" stated a powerful voice, cutting through Blake's thoughts.

When Blake looked over she was met with the sight of yet another blonde girl who looked about her age walking beside a man of a decent height, walking with the grace befitting of a king. Blake had a good guess who this man was, and it instinctually made her eyes narrow and her ears fall flat against her hair.

"Julius Arc, Head of House Arc," stated Weiss out loud for Blake, "To what do we owe this pleasure."

* * *

The Arc head stopped in front of Weiss alongside his daughters, all of them with their blonde hair and ocean blue eyes just like her leader…

_They just lack the warmth and empathy that comes from those blue eyes._

Weiss pushed those thoughts aside as she faced off with arguably one of the most powerful men on Remnant. The said man stared down at Weiss with the same arrogance that his air-headed daughters had tried to portray in her presence.

"Weiss Schnee, Heiress of House Schnee, it is truly a privilege," he stated evenly, "I must apologize on my daughters' behalves, it has been long flight and they are understandably irritable."

Weiss almost snorted at that, but kept her composure as she met the Arc patriarch's stare evenly.

"Be as it may, it does not answer my inquiry."

Julius' eyes narrowed at Weiss' bluntness.

"It is a matter that only concerns the Arcs, surely you understand?"

_Why indeed I do my dear prick._

Weiss took a deep breath in order to reel in her emotions before squaring her shoulders.

"I understand completely."

Julius smiled at that and made to speak before Weiss cut him off.

"However," said Weiss, relishing in the annoyance that flitted across the Arc patriarch's eyes at being interrupted, "The fact that this visitation concerns my team leader thus makes this my concern as well."

Four pairs of blue eyes widened a bit in shock at this piece of information, causing Weiss to glower at them.

_They truly did not have any faith in Jaune did they?_

One of the Arc daughters decided to speak up, "Claudia" if Weiss recalled correctly.

"M-my weak brother? A leader? Surely you jest!"

Weiss turned her gaze upon her causing the woman to flinch a bit.

"I do not jest, Ms. Arc," stated Weiss evenly, "And I will not tolerate insults to a man that I have come to respect, and a man that our headmaster has come to respect."

Weiss then turned her attention back to the Arc patriarch with a cold expression on her face.

"Now please, _remind_ me why you are here?"

The man before Weiss glared down at her, all pleasantries were off the table now.

"So I see that you are on the side of my foolish son… very well, I shall humor you," he stated, "I am here to reclaim what is rightfully mine in accordance to our ancient codex and… _rectify_ a mistake that has plagued this family for far too long."

"An I'm guessing that this _mistake_ is your own son?"

Weiss turned her head to see Blake beside her with an unreadable expression on her face. The Arc family looked over at her with looks of contempt.

"And you are_ you_?" growled "Sierra".

Blake met the woman's gaze evenly.

"Blake Belladonna," Blake answered with a subtle amount of pride in her voice, "Proud member of the team lead by Jaune Arc, the man that you call a mistake."

Julius seemed to rear back a bit in surprise at Blake's name catching Weiss' eye immediately.

"Did you say… Belladonna?" he asked.

Blake narrowed her eyes beside Weiss.

"Is that truly the subject at hand at the moment?"

Julius stared at Blake before chuckling darkly.

"Oh no, not at all," he said before he muttered something to himself.

Weiss couldn't really pick up on what he said, but from the way Blake twitched and narrowed her eyes a bit, she could only surmise that her faunus teammate had picked up on what Julius had uttered. Julius then spoke up once again.

"But it is a subject that is very intriguing none-the-less and only strengthens my resolve to do what must be done in regards to… that boy."

Weiss allowed a full on glare to appear at that last part. To call his own son… "boy" it may as well have been an official declaration of Jaune's banishment from his own family.

_"If you do not come out of this duel victorious then you will be banished from the Schnee family, try not to disappoint me, girl."_

Weiss' hands clenched into fists as she tried to keep her temper in check, but this infuriating monster before her made it extremely difficult. Her internal battle was cut short, however, when something suddenly struck the ground right before Julius' feet causing the man to jump backwards in surprise. His face turned to pure rage as he looked around.

"Who dares attack me?!"

Weiss looked at the object protruding from the floor and was surprised to recognize a familiar red-gold javelin.

"I'm sorry, that would be me."

Weiss couldn't help but smile when she heard Pyrrha's voice behind her and the smile only grew wider when she saw the look on Julius' face upon seeing the Mistral Champion.

"P-Pyrrha Nikos?!"

Weiss turned to look at Pyrrha, who had the same polite smile on her face, but what Weiss saw in the red-head's emerald eyes made her heart skip a beat. The sheer _malice_ that radiated out of them really caught her off guard.

"That is my name, yes, and I am also a proud member of Team ABSN," answered Pyrrha.

Weiss looked back at Julius only to see him opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

"And the _boy_ that you are referring to has a few words to say," Pyrrha continued before stepping aside to reveal Jaune walking up to the scene.

Jaune smiled at her and Weiss before looking towards his father with a neutral expression.

"Hello father, sisters, did you miss me?"

* * *

Pyrrha didn't know what she was feeling when she set her eyes upon the man that was supposed to be Jaune's father.

_Anger?_

_Sadness?_

_ Confusion?_

These were all emotions that Pyrrha felt and for different reasons, but she schooled them behind the front of Pyrrha Nikos, even as she called back Milo from the floor. As she did, Jaune stepped out in front of her, his neutral expression still in place as he walked forward to stand beside Weiss and Blake. Pyrrha stepped up as well, standing tall and proud beside her teammates as they stared down Jaune's "family". It was then that the Arc Patriarch finally found it within himself to speak.

"I see that you have finally decided to show yourself, _son_, I was wondering if you were just going to have your little cheerleaders do the work for you," the man sneered.

_**Oh please, keep talking, give me a reason to shove Milo through your heart!**_

Pyrrha felt her smile twitch at the thought.

_Stop, I have to keep control of myself, now is not the time._

Jaune in the mean time simply cocked his head to the side.

"They can handle themselves however they like, it doesn't change the fact that we are all here as a team," he said nonchalantly, "And now that I'm here, we both know where this conversation is inevitably gonna go, so let's not waste any time."

With that, Jaune drew Crocea Mors from its sheath causing the Arcs to take a startled step back.

_**Cowards.**_

Pyrrha didn't care to reel in the thought as the truth stood before them staring at Jaune wearily. Jaune paid no heed to them as he stared at Crocea Mors with a look of longing on his face; it made Pyrrha's heart break a little at the sight. When a warrior held a weapon for a long time, it tends to become a part of them, thus to lose such a weapon would be like losing part of the soul. Pyrrha's smile slowly started to fade at the thought of this... _fiend _taking away a part of her leader's soul.

"You came here for Crocea Mors, yes?" asked Jaune, despite him already knowing the answer.

The Arc Patriarch was again the first to recover as he nodded curtly.

"Indeed, it does not belong to you, nor will it ever as you very well know."

Jaune smirked.

"Yeah… it means that I'm not an Arc..."

Pyrrha glowered at the arrogant look that the Arc patriarch took as he stared down at his former son.

"Indeed, now hand over what you have stolen from what belongs to a _true _Arc," the man said as he reached his hand out.

Jaune stared at the other man for a moment before he slowly sheathed Crocea Mors, he did not make a move to unhinge the sheath from his belt, however, as Weiss suddenly put a hand on Jaune's effectively stopping him from unhinging the sword from his belt. Pyrrha blinked in confusion as Weiss simply smiled at Jaune before stepping forward.

"I apologize for this intrusion on family matters, but I cannot help but find a few inconsistencies," she stated.

The Arc patriarch glared at Weiss in contempt.

"And pray-tell Ms. Schnee, what inconsistencies are you referring to?"

"Well, for starters you have accused your son, a fellow Arc, of a crime against the household, no?" stated Weiss.

All eyes were on Weiss at that point; Pyrrha couldn't help but wonder what the Schnee heiress was thinking or what Weiss' plan was.

"That is correct," growled the Arc patriarch already losing patience, "Get to the point Ms. Schnee."

"The age of adulthood is sixteen is it not?" continued Weiss, "In accordance to the Arc Codex?"

The man seemed to freeze up at what the heiress said.

_Arc Codex?_

Pyrrha could only surmise that it was some kind of political text for the Arc family and Weiss was apparently privy to it. It was also something that the Arc patriarch did _not _seem to expect.

"That… I don't know what that has to do with our current conversation," growled the man trying to cover up his nerves.

Weiss seemed to sense this as her smile grew sending shivers down Pyrrha's spine at how _predatory_ it looked.

"This means that Jaune here is of the age, being seventeen, to be considered a fellow adult in the eyes of the Arc family and thus has access to several rights," continued Weiss before cocking her head to the side, "Including the right to refute a _false_ claim."

All the Arcs, including Jaune, seemed taken aback by Weiss' knowledge of their clan's affairs and this surprise spread to Pyrrha as well. Blake was the only one present who didn't seem confused by Weiss' greater knowledge base. The Arc patriarch's expression twisted into one of rage. Suddenly a thought struck Pyrrha.

_Wait a minute… if this is what I think it means…_

"That is none of your concern you w-," he started only to be cut off by a sudden noise.

It took Pyrrha a while to register that she was laughing along side Jaune, both having to support one another to prevent from collapsing in their mirth.

"And what may I ask is so funny?" growled one of Jaune's "sisters".

Pyrrha was the first to get herself together, taking a deep breath while Jaune followed suit, wiping a tear from his eyes.

"Sorry, I'm just laughing at the impeccable timing my dear teammate had," said Jaune.

Weiss lifted a brow at Jaune, clearly looking like she didn't appreciate the laughter she had received. Jaune simply gave one of his charming grins putting a hand on Weiss' shoulder before stepping closer to the Arcs.

"I've been meaning to do this a different way, but Weiss has reminded me of the proper way of going about this," stated Jaune.

It was then that Jaune's expression changed into one that would most likely haunt Pyrrha for a while. Pyrrha had seen Jaune make many expressions in her short time knowing him, but never in her life had she dreamed of seeing such an _intimidating _look on his face.

"Julius Arc, I, Jaune Arc hereby refute your claim through trial by combat," stated Jaune, "To refuse is the coward's way out and is not the way of the Arc."


	12. The Art of Goading

**To my esteemed readers,**

**I just want to apologize profusely for how how long its taking for me to post these chapters. I appreciate ALL of the feedback from you guys since it's really helped me try and make time for this story. Unfortunately my last semester of college is really proving to be a bit challenging for me. But rest assured I am DETERMINED to get this story out for you all and hopefully dish out more stories for you in the near future. As for right now, please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think in the comments.**

**Graciously yours,**

**Bloodavenger42**

* * *

**Ch. 11: The Art of Goading**

Jaune stared down at the concrete floor the Beacon locker rooms. Soon, he and the rest of his team would be entering the training arena to battle his father and three sisters in a match sanctioned by Ozpin himself. Jaune still remembered the look of fury that Julius had upon hearing Ozpin's acceptance to the match causing a smile to appear on his face.

_"Very well then… we'll see about your so-called skills on the battlefield. Try not to disappoint me… _boy_."_

At just like that, Jaune's smile faded. He was no stranger to such words of discouragement from his father, but despite the fact, he still felt a small part of his heart twist at the notion.

_No… I have to stay strong, for my team… my friends._

"Jaune?"

_Speaking of my friends._

Jaune looked up with a smile seeing the rest of ABSN assembled in front of him, prepared for what was going to be their toughest battle yet. Jaune slowly stood up to address his team.

"Hello ladies, you ready for this?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

Weiss and Blake rolled their eyes at that comment while Pyrrha simply smiled.

"We're more than ready, Jaune," said Pyrrha.

"Well… ready as we can be since Ozpin turned this into a giant spectacle for the entire school," added Blake.

Jaune grimaced.

_Yeah… forgot about that._

Honestly Jaune didn't know what Ozpin was thinking, bringing together the entire school to watch this fight. Perhaps it actually was for educational purposes or simply because Ozpin was a sadistic asshat.

_The latter is actually not that much of a stretch since he did make it seem like he wanted to kill me… or he actually did try to kill me… eh._

Jaune simply shook his head and addressed his team again.

"It can't be helped unfortunately, we're just going to have to take it as it is."

"Doesn't mean we have to like it right?" asked Weiss.

Jaune let out a short laugh at that.

"Nope not at all, be annoyed to your heart's content!"

Their laughter echoed across the locker rooms. Jaune wiped a tear from his eye as he shook his head.

_Oh man I needed that._

"I see that you are mature as ever."

_Aaaaand it's gone._

Jaune's smile faded from his face, as did the mirth of the rest of the team as they all addressed the speaker. Sierra Arc stood there with that same condescending look on her face causing Jaune to deadpan.

"Seriously… you're trying _way _too hard to be like dad, don't you _ever_ get tired to smelling the inside of his rear end?"

Sierra's face immediately turned red in embarrassment and rage as she started sputtering incoherently. He felt a sharp elbow from Weiss right afterwards.

"That was a very immature comment Jaune, something that I will not condone from our leader," admonished Weiss even as she tried and failed to keep a smile from appearing on her face.

Blake didn't even bother hiding her own small smile and Pyrrha hand a hand over her mouth in an attempt to hide her own mirth although the occasional snort gave her away. In the meantime Sierra seemed to have composed herself enough to speak in an understandable form of speech.

"I am simply doing what is expected me to become a worthy candidate as the head of the Arc Family, something that you had never done."

Jaune let out a labored sigh.

"Yeah, yeah we already know that, no need to beat on a dead horse, yeesh," grumbled in annoyance, "You'd think that you grew up with a superiority complex growing up… oh wait… you did."

Sierra let out a growl before controlling herself and allowing herself to smirk.

"No matter, we will show you the power of _true_ Arcs and prove to this entire establishment how much of a mistake they made bringing you here and making you a _leader_ of all things."

Jaune simply feigned a yawn as he waved his hand.

"Alright, if you're done gloating you can leave now."

The eldest Arc daughter let out a loud huff before spinning on her heels and stalking off. Jaune and the rest of her team watched her go before Weiss decided to speak up.

"To think that I used to act like that…" she muttered.

Jaune blinked and looked over at Weiss incredulously.

"Really? You acted like _that_?!" he exclaimed, pointing rudely at his sister's retreating back.

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Only for a time, thank Monty."

_Oh I think the entire team is thankful for that._

Jaune honestly couldn't imagine how this team would have gone if Weiss ended up being a spoiled brat instead of who she was currently. There would most likely have ended up with Pyrrha keeping her at arm's length, Blake arguing with her about every little thing and him flirting with her twenty-four seven in order to get a rise out of her.

_Luckily that didn't happen. _

Jaune shook himself from his musings and addressed his team once again.

"Well, with that aside, we should really focus on the task at hand."

Almost immediately, all sense of mirth was snuffed out. Replaced by focused, battle-ready expressions.

"Make no mistake, our opponents are probably four of the most formidable warriors in probably all of Remnant," stated Jaune before he looked to the side, "Even if they seem like they're all talk."

Weiss nodded along with his statement as she spoke up.

"It is true that the Arc family has been historically known for its great warriors, especially due to their monstrous aura and natural battle sense."

Jaune nodded as he crossed his arms.

"That's right, so we can't afford to get too complacent, especially given the fact that we know next to nothing about any of their fighting styles," he said, "We're going to have to assume that their skills with be top notch and along with their coordination and play it out from there."

Pyrrha cocked her head at Jaune.

"Surely you had seen your sisters and father fight?"

Jaune smiled sadly at her.

"My father never really saw it fit to allow me and my sisters to train together and he never really used his main style when 'training' me," he stated.

"So we're basically at a small disadvantage at the moment," muttered Blake with a small frown on her face.

"At least until we can get a good read on them."

Blake simply nodded at Jaune's assessment. It was then that Pyrrha decided to speak up.

"But we do have one advantage over them."

Jaune lifted a brow at his partner.

"And what would that be?"

Pyrrha smiled.

"They underestimate you."

Jaune stared at his partner for a while before closing his eyes, thinking back on previous events.

_…She's right… they still hold a pretty small opinion of me and they stubbornly hold onto that fact… if I can use that to our advantage…_

Suddenly the gears rolled into motion as he started to hash out a strategy slowly grinning more and more as it all started to come together.

"Now, now Jaune, don't leave us in suspense," stated Blake in amusement, "What do you have for us?"

Jaune slowly opened his eyes as he looked upon the patient, smiling faces of his team. Jaune let out a wide grin.

"A rather unorthodox plan, unfortunately," he stated with his smile never leaving his face, "You sure you wanna hear it?"

A trio of knowing smiles were the answer he received.

* * *

Blake looked around at the packed stadium. Apparently Ozpin wasn't kidding around when he said that he would be inviting the entire school to watch this fight unfold. Staff and students of all years crowded the stands as they chatted with one another in varying degrees of excitement.

_Well, can't say that Ozpin doesn't take his own words to heart… even though I wish he didn't._

Blake let out a sigh before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see her leader giving her an apologetic smile before turning back towards Glynda Goodwitch who was currently in the middle of explaining the rules of the fight.

"This match will be carried out tournament style, for the sake of us all, I will explain what this pertains…"

Blake tuned out the rest of what Glynda was saying as she observed her opponents. Her eyes landed on the youngest Arc sister.

_Target Name: Marissa Arc. Height: 5' 3". Weight: Roughly 102 lbs. Physique: Lithe. Visible Weapon: Halberd. Chances of Hidden Weapons: Fairly likely. Initial Assessment: Most likely reliant on speed and reach._

Blake felt her old habits as an assassin unfold as she gathered up the information on ABSN's opponents. Why was she doing this? Well as her leader had kindly pointed out in the locker rooms…

_"In order for this plan to work, we need to know our opponents better," Jaune stated, "Therefore, Blake."_

_ Blake's ears perked at the mention of her name._

_ "You are the best of any of us at analyzing an unknown opponent so I need you get a quick read on them so that we can quickly decide who to match against who initially."_

Blake smirked. Who knew that her skills would do some good if used correctly? With that in mind her eyes flicked towards Claudia Arc who was currently fluffing up her hair while holding up a mirror. Blake couldn't help but deadpan at that.

_Seriously?_

Blake shook herself from her musings and focused.

_Target Name: Claudia Arc. Height: 5' 8". Weight: Roughly 119 lbs. Physique: Lithe, Slightly on the fatter side (snicker). Visible Weapon: Dual Swords… and a mirror. Chances of Hidden Weapons: Fairly unlikely. Initial Assessment: Most likely a skirmisher, and fairly adept at dueling._

Blake's eyes flicked towards Sierra Arc who was currently glaring at Jaune.

_Target Name: Sierra Arc. Height: 5' 11". Weight: Roughly 132 lbs. Physique: Lithe, Slightly Muscular. Visible Weapon: Claymore. Chances of Hidden Weapons: Extremely unlikely. Initial Assessment: Very likely to be able to hit hard and take a few hits as well._

Finally Blake's eyes went to Julius Arc who stood more at the forefront of the rest of the daughters; seemingly half listening to Glynda as he smirked at Jaune most likely thinking his victory was assured.

_"Did you say… Belladonna?"_

_ "Oh no, not at all..."_

Blake's eyes narrowed.

_Target Name: Julius Arc. Height: 6' 5". Weight: Roughly 202 lbs. Physique: Very Muscular. Visible Weapon: Longsword and Kite shield. Chances of Hidden Weapons: Not likely. Initial Assessment: Likely the most resilient._

Blake turned to Jaune and relayed the information to his ear. Jaune nodded discreetly as he faced forward, most likely deciding the match-ups. Her task done, Blake couldn't help but put her attention back upon the elder Arc, his previous statements still bothering her.

_Did I meet him somewhere before? Or was it that he knew Margaret before?_

Blake's eyes narrowed at the implication.

_If he _did_ know Margaret, then where could he have met her?_

Blake shook away those thoughts.

_No Blake, you can't get distracted; there will be time for thinking later._

With that, Blake brought her attention to Glynda who was just finishing up her speech on tournament rules.

"…A winner is declared when all of one side's aura levels are brought down to the red zone," finished Glynda adjusting her glasses, "Are there any questions?"

Blake took a deep breath to prepare herself for the next move.

"Just one."

Blake watched Glynda turn towards Weiss who seemed to be the one to speak.

"Yes Ms. Schnee what is it?"

Weiss looked at Glynda in confusion.

"Huh? Oh I wasn't speaking to you, Professor Goodwitch, please continue with your speech."

The heiress' answer was met with silence. Why? Well it may have been due to the fact that Weiss had just admitted to blowing off Glynda Goodwitch, something that was _not _taken lightly. Jaune suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her away from any prying ears… well all accept hers.

"What are you doing?" Jaune hissed in a voice that was a bit too loud.

"What? I was just asking you a question!" countered Weiss said in a regular voice.

"Idiot! This wasn't part of the plan!" Jaune continued to stage whisper.

"Oy "idiot" we can hear you!" shouted a familiar arrogant voice.

_Cardin Winchester…_

Blake fought the urge to roll her eyes as she stared at her slowly "crumbling" team. Jaune meanwhile seemed to catch on as he looked around with a dumb expression on his face before he scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle.

"Heh… my bad? I mean kinda wanted to do a bit of a _red_ herring thing, but those are always so _slippery_," Jaune stated sheepishly.

"Jaune, you just told them outright…" moaned Pyrrha.

Blake simply palmed her face, staying silent. In the meantime Jaune's father let out a laugh.

"My goodness, I was hoping for better than this my dear son, it appears that you truly are just all talk."

"Well I think this where the phrase, "pot calling the kettle black" scenario comes into play… though personally I think the color _white_ is better to be honest since its such a _diva _color," stated Jaune with a chuckle.

Claudia Arc looked up from her mirror with an annoyed look.

"My goodness, it seems that my dearest brother has become mad as well as foolish."

Jaune looked at Claudia for a moment before putting a fist in an open palm as if he was having a "Eureka" moment.

"Or maybe it is _black_ that's the right color because of its _brutish_ nature!"

Blake deadpanned at Jaune.

"Or maybe not…" muttered Jaune, "Oh well, regardless the _pot_ and the _kettle_ will just have to clash to see who's better."

Blake again put a palm on her face.

"Idiot."

Her body language at the exterior just screamed defeat to everyone… just as she was asked to.

_"Key words?" asked Blake._

_ Jaune smirked._

_ "I know that my family already underestimates _me_ but they don't underestimate all of you… so… if I say act like the idiot leader they expect and then you follow up with the act of us being an uncoordinated team…"_

_ Weiss stared at Jaune incredulously._

_ "But how exactly are you going to get the message to us?"_

_ "Like I said, I'm going to use key words for you to listen for in order to hear who you're going to pair off with after Blake gives me the initial low down," stated Jaune._

_ Pyrrha hummed in thought looking rather intrigued with the plan._

_ "So what are these 'keywords'?" asked Blake._

_ Jaune looked up at the ceiling for a moment before grinning._

_ "Hair colors!"_

_ …_

_ "What?"_

Blake smiled behind her hand.

_I can't believe he actually went though with that._

Blake stole glances at her teammates whom were readying themselves for their assigned targets. Blake _Black_ then leveled her gaze on her own target… Sierra _Brutish_ Arc.

_Message received Jaune "Pot" Arc… A pot isn't a hair color._

"Well then… are all fighters ready?" asked Glynda as she stared at Jaune and Weiss with narrowed eyes.

"Ready as I'll ever be I guess," stated Jaune.

"We are most definitely ready professor," stated Julius.

Glynda ignored Jaune's half-assed answer and put her hand in the air.

"Very well then, begin!"

* * *

Upon the professor's call to battle, Weiss immediately charged forth towards her intended target: Claudia _"Diva" _Arc.

_How in the world did I allow myself to agree to this?_

Yet as ridiculous as it was, Weiss had to put in an effort to keep a smile from decorating her face as she stabbed at Claudia with Myrtenaster. As expected, Claudia danced out of harm's way easily enough, making no effort to draw her weapons as she continued to look into her mirror.

"You know, it is quite rude to be attacking an opponent who is not paying attention," stated Claudia as she continued her task, "Unfortunately for you, you seem to be nothing but hot air _Ms. Schnee._"

Weiss ignored her words and kept up her onslaught of attacks, each one missing their mark due to the quick reflexes of her opponent.

_So she really is reliant on agility… must be why Jaune had me go against her…_

After avoiding another attack, Claudia huffed as she finally looked at Weiss with an annoyed glare.

"Honestly, if you're going to fight me, at least put some effort into it, has being under the leadership of that failure degraded you so?"

When Weiss said nothing, Claudia flicked her hair.

"Hah! Here I was expecting an opponent worthy of crossing blades with in a beautiful duet of dancing blades, but I have yet to see any of the original grace of the Schnee Family!"

Weiss continued with her silence, keeping a cold, stoic expression on her face as she internally smiled at a plan slowly coming together.

_"For the first few moments of the fight, don't put in one hundred percent. And don't use your semblances right away."_

_ While Pyrrha seemed to understand immediately, Weiss couldn't help but feel confused and the sentiment seemed to be shared with Blake._

_ "What do you mean? Wouldn't it be better if we pick one off due to their complacency with us and then take them three versus four?" asked Blake._

_ At that Jaune wagged a finger at the girl._

_ "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Blake, that is what happens when you don't appreciate tactics!" he stated before turning towards Weiss, "Weiss? Would you care to explain?"_

_ Weiss frowned at that only for the realization to hit her like a ton of bricks._

_ "Of course… we have no idea what the opponents are capable of thus if we output too much right at the beginning…"_

_ "They will be more on guard and thus harder to get a read on," finished Jaune with a cheeky grin, "I believe Pyrrha here has utilized this tactic multiple times."_

_ The said girl nodded a bit shyly at that. _

_ "Indeed, it was a typical tactic I used my opponents at the Mistral tournaments in order to gauge their strengths and weaknesses before they attacked."_

_ "Exactly, and now I have a question for you Pyrrha," said Jaune causing Pyrrha to turn towards him, "Can you tell us how this affected your more… arrogant opponents?"_

_ Pyrrha frowned in thought._

_ "Well, most of the time it would only cause them to get even more over-confident as well as occasionally let a few secrets about their fighting style slip."_

_ Jaune smiled and nodded victoriously._

"It would seem that you didn't inherit any skill and grace like Specialist Schnee had. How unalike you are… then again my brother exists so I suppose anything is possible."

Weiss' eyes narrowed at the implication.

_Could it be that she holds the same sort of style as Winter?_

Such a notion would not be far off, as like her sister, Claudia also seemed to have two cutlasses at her sides.

_There's only one way to find out._

Weiss readied herself for her next move as she thought back to her team's discussion.

_ "Of course one minor hitch to this approach would be that the opponent might be too into gloating rather than actually fighting you," stated Jaune, "If that happens, we just need to _make_ them notice without giving too much away."_

_ "And how do you propose we do that?" asked Weiss._

_ Jaune smirked._

Weiss tensed up as she prepared to strike again.

_"Simply put."_

She waited patiently for the right moment to strike…

_"We need to 'mess each other up'."_

Right as Weiss struck forward, a familiar rounded shield flew right into her vision, tapping Myrtenaster with just enough force to push the jab in a different direction before flying off in a random direction. Weiss looked over at Pyrrha and shared a meaningful look before narrowing her eyes.

"Watch where you're throwing!" she shouted before looking as the shield continued on its haphazard flight… towards Blake.

Blake spotted the incoming projectile and deflected away from her and right into an unprepared Sierra's nose. As the girl reeled back in pain, Weiss watched as the shield made small arc in the air before landing on the ground right behind where Jaune was about to land after an attack he made. Upon landing on the shield, Jaune "slipped" sending the shield flying into Julius' shield, right on the family emblem. The shield was then deflected right back to Pyrrha's feet who slowly picked it up with an embarrassed look on her face.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed sheepishly.

Weiss wanted to shake her head in amusement at the display. It was the first time she was ever part of an intentional domino effect made to look like an accident. A bit obnoxious for her taste, but Weiss couldn't argue with the results.

_"So basically we just need to make it so it looks as if we messed up when in reality we're targeting something that would make them pay attention to us while at the same time not causing suspicion?" asked Blake._

_ "Basically."_

_ "And we're hoping to achieve the same effect as when I took a piece of Yang's hair?"_

_ "Exactly."_

"You…" growled Claudia.

Weiss returned her attention to reality as she looked upon Claudia, who did _not _look happy.

"The nerve you have, just because you're part of a powerful clan like the Schnee Clan!"

Weiss lifted a brow before lifting up Myrtenaster… with Claudia's mirror impaled onto it. Weiss had the decency to look _slightly_ apologetic.

"I'm sorry," she said in her best impression of Pyrrha.

Claudia bristled for a bit before taking a calming breath and smirking darkly.

"Well then, seeing as you have been performing like an amateur, allow me to show you what a _true_ dance of blades is."

_"And if all goes well you'll have a pissed off Arc on your hands!"_

Weiss let out a slight smirk.

"Prepare yourself!" hollered Claudia in a rather shrill voice before she charged forth.

* * *

Pyrrha ducked under a lightning fast halberd before blocking a kick that would have landed on her stomach with Akouo and leaping backwards from her opponent. If Pyrrha could tell one thing, it was that her opponent, Marissa _"Slippery"_ Arc was _furious_ with her at the moment. Sure Pyrrha expected minor annoyance, something that would goad her into attacking more seriously, but she didn't think a small tap on her diary from Akouo would cause this reaction.

_Well, not that I'm complaining too much, at least the plan is coming into effect._

_"So after we get their attention, then what?" asked Blake._

_ Jaune let out an apologetic smile at this._

_ "Unfortunately the next step depends on each of our individual abilities to hold off whomever we're fighting until they play most, if not all, their cards," he stated, "That's why I need to be able to get the most advantageous match-ups for each of us so that we will be able to sustain for long enough."_

_ "That's… quite the risky gamble," stated Weiss with a small frown._

_ Jaune shrugged, his apologetic smile still on his face._

_ "Unfortunately for us this is probably one of the best ways to know our opponents, but don't worry, because I have a trick up my sleeve."_

_ Pyrrha lifted a brow._

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ Jaune grinned at his partner and opened his mouth to explain-_

Pyrrha snapped out of her thoughts as she instinctually deflected another strike that was aimed at her head.

_Seriously… she seems to want to behead me!_

Marissa continued on with a flurry of quick strikes, which Pyrrha easily blocked, deflected or evaded. From what Pyrrha could tell, Marissa really relied on her speed to give herself an edge in fights with each strike being more impressive then the last. Pyrrha had to give her opponent credit: she was good.

_But not as good as my leader… and not as good as me._

Pyrrha felt a small smirk make its way onto her face as the excitement of the battle started to get to her.

_No… no not yet, now is not the time…_

Yes, Pyrrha picked up that Marissa was reliant on speed, but there were still a few more mysteries to solve, such as the fact that Marissa's weapon seemed to be able to transform into other forms and if that was the case then Pyrrha had to know what they were.

_She must have some sort of ranged weapon… but how to bait it out…_

Pyrrha suddenly thought back to her fight with Lei Ren.

_Hmm… that could work…_

A plan in mind, Pyrrha finally took the initiative to attack first, something that her opponent didn't seem to expect. Pyrrha stepped right into the other girl's face, transforming Milo into its sword form as she pushed forth with Akouo in front of her. Marissa was immediately forced to jump back to a safer distance, just as planned. What Pyrrha didn't plan for was three high-speed projectiles flying towards her. Pyrrha's eyes widened in surprise as she raised Akouo up to block the oncoming projectiles from hitting her person.

_What was that?!_

Pyrrha looked over Akouo and was even more surprised to find three small knives embedded into the face of the shield. Pyrrha looked up at her opponent to see Marissa with a stoic expression on her face as she twirled a similar knife with dexterous fingers.

_Throwing knives…_

Pyrrha's look of surprise slowly melted into one of barely suppressed glee.

_Interesting._

Like her brother, Marissa Arc seemed to hold a certain affinity to surprising those around her. It was honestly something that Pyrrha could respect. Pyrrha quickly shifted Milo into its rifle form and started to fire a few shots at Marissa who easily flipped out of the way. Marissa countered by throwing a couple more throwing knives before charging in after them. Thinking quickly, Pyrrha threw her Akouo onto her back and shifted Milo into its spear form, spinning it around with both hands in order to deflect the oncoming knives before meeting Marissa halfway. Marissa ended up breaking the lock halfway most likely due to the fact that she new Pyrrha had her beat in strength. Instead, Marissa used her superior speed in order to jab at Pyrrha from all angles, trying to find an opening. Unfortunately for her, Pyrrha was well versed in that sort of style of fighting thanks to her leader. Wherever Marissa's pole-arm struck at, Milo was there to meet it. This duel seemed to last for an eternity, one that Pyrrha found herself enjoying more and more… that was until her leader slammed right into her sending both of them toppling to the ground.

"Sorry Pyr," groaned Jaune.

"It's alright," grunted Pyrrha as they both got up.

Pyrrha looked up to see Marissa standing there with the same stoic expression, but she could barely make out the smallest hints of disappointment and… amusement?

"Hmph, to be expected."

Pyrrha' eyes narrowed as she saw the Arc patriarch approach them.

"As usual, you lack the form that befits a true Arc warrior," he stated in a bored manner.

Pyrrha stole a glance at Jaune and confirmed her suspicions when she saw Jaune wielding his shield as it was meant to.

_He fought using the same style as his father? Why?_

Pyrrha stole a glance at her team's aura levels and grimaced when she saw Julius Arc's aura level at max and her leader's aura level down to half.

_That's what happens when you try using a style that isn't yours._

Pyrrha knew it was part of the plan to make themselves look incompetent in order to catch the opponent off guard, but this may have been pushing things. It was then that Blake and Weiss joined them leaving the two teams of combatants in a stand-off.

"_This_ is it? _This_ is supposed to be the team that Ozpin holds in such high regard?" growled Julius, "What a disgrace!"

Julius then turned to address the crowd.

"Look upon these failures! All of you!" he stated gesturing towards ABSN, "_This _is to be your potential! How laughable! If this is the future, then I fear for your esteemed headmaster's health!"

The crowd was silent, but many looked towards ABSN with varying degrees of disdain. Pyrrha felt a bit of anger bubbling up inside of her.

_How dare they…_

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see her leader still staring at the floor with his hair covering his eyes and an unreadable expression on his face.

"Let this be a lesson to you all!" continued Julius boisterously as he started to build up his aura. "This is why you do not insult the word or honor of a _true _Arc!"

Beside Julius, Claudia and Sierra eagerly joined in on building up their aura's on what Pyrrha surmised to be the final attack, the finisher, although Marissa mysteriously seemed to be opting out, content in just watching. Pyrrha stared wearily at the intensely glowing Arcs. Whatever it was they were about to unleash, it was likely to be catastrophic and gauging the state of her team, it was not likely that they would be able to stop what was coming. Suddenly Jaune spoke up.

"Did everyone get a good read on their opponents?"

Pyrrha's eyes flicked towards her leader.

"Yes," stated Blake.

"Of course," said Weiss.

Pyrrha blinked and thought back to her fight with Marissa and felt herself deflate when she realized didn't get very much out Marissa other than her throwing knives.

"Not… especially…" muttered Pyrrha.

"Well I sent you up against Marissa so that doesn't come as a surprise.

Pyrrha blinked and looked at Jaune who smirked back at her.

"Did you have fun?"

Pyrrha was once again caught off guard by the Arc boy's questioning.

"Yes I did… why?"

"No reason," said Jaune dismissively as he stood up, "Just wanted to know if you've gotten all your jitters out of your system."

It was at that moment that Pyrrha was brought back to her first duel with her leader when she tried to get to know him through fighting. Her fight with Marissa had a similar result her lust for a "worthy" opponent taking top priority. At this Pyrrha flushed sheepishly.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"It's alright; you still got some of her tricks out of her, yes?"

"Yes…"

"Then you know what you have to do for the next step," stated Jaune.

"If we can survive this next attack," Blake chimed.

"Aw c'mon Blake, don't you trust me?" said Jaune with a pout.

Blake simply rolled her eyes. Weiss let out a sound of amusement. Pyrrha's mind wandered back to her previous train of thought:

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ Jaune smirked and opened his mouth to explain,_

_ "My semblance."_

_ This immediately got Pyrrha's attention as well as her teammates._

_ "Your semblance?" asked Weiss, "You mean the thing that allows you to move at high speeds?"_

_ Jaune looked to the side._

_ "Well… that's one way to put it…"_

_ "Explain," demanded Weiss._

_ Jaune simply wagged his finger in Weiss' face._

_ "Now where's the fun in that?" said Jaune, "How about you guess?"_

_ "Really Jaune?" deadpanned Blake._

_ "What? We have time!" countered Jaune._

_ Pyrrha decided to humor him._

_ "Are you able to augment the aura's of everyone around you?" asked Pyrrha._

_ "No, but that would be really cool."_

_ "The ability to create a greater shield?" offered Weiss._

_ "Nope!"_

_ "Is it perhaps something having to do with time?" asked Blake._

_ "Technically speaking it can, but for simplicity's sake I'll have to call negative on that as well."_

_ "C'mon Jaune just tell us," groaned Blake._

_ "You're no fun," pouted Jaune._

_ "I'll lock you in the room and make you write a one-hundred page report of Remnant's political history," stated Weiss with an evil grin._

_ "Okay! Okay! I surrender!" yelped Jaune._

_ Pyrrha giggled at her teammates antics suddenly Jaune turned serious._

_ "Do you all remember my fight with one Nora Valkyrie?" asked Jaune._

_ Pyrrha remembered that fight well, with the most notable factor being that big flash at the end…_

No… it can't be…

_Pyrrha's eyes widened at that as she looked up towards Jaune who smirked in response._

"I think this embarrassment has gone on long enough!" stated Julius, "You truly know how to continually disappoint, _boy._"

"Is that much power really necessary?" called Glynda.

"I shall pay for the damages myself," answered the Arc patriarch, without powering down, "A small price to pay in order to get the message across."

_"My semblance doesn't speed me up…"_

"With this, our victory is assured," stated Julius.

_"It's pretty complicated so I'll just say this..."_

The ground beneath Pyrrha's feat started to tremble and soon her entire vision was filled with white light, but Pyrrha held firm, trusting in her leader and friend.

_"My semblance is, crudly put-."_

The world around Pyrrha exploded into white light.

_"Teleportation."_

* * *

**P.S. Sorry for the cliffhanger! XD**


	13. All According to Plan

**To all of you esteemed readers,**

**HELP ME FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. I must have completely reconstructed this entire damn story like ten times already! Ahem. Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I finally have my newest chapter out as I promised... although many of you might be a bit peeved at the chapter name. Yes, this chapter is going to come in two parts and I'm sorry, but I had so many ideas for this chapter it could have been a story in itself. Good news is now that I'm graduated from college I have a lot more free time and that means I'll be able to write more regularly and possibly set a schedule! *Gasp*. Joking aside, despite this being only part of of this particular chapter, part 2 is in the works and is likely to be released two weeks after this update at the latest. Again, sorry for the long wait and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Remember, writers love it when you write comments! So please share your mind!**

**Sincerely yours,**

**Bloodavenger42**

* * *

**Ch. 12 Part 1: All According to Plan**

The entire arena was alit with the resulting explosion of Julius' combined attack with his eldest daughters. Dust flew everywhere, obscuring the area where ABSN had been standing. Julius smirked as he stared at the dust cloud.

"And with this, the match ends and to be honest I can't help but feel a bit disappointed," he stated with a smile before turning to address the audience who sat there in varying degrees of shock and awe.

"Let this be a warning to any of those who wish to question the power of the Arc Family! We may be a forgotten clan, but that does not mean we cannot snuff out any threat that is posed against us!"

Julius then turned towards Ozpin who was standing at a balcony that overlooked the arena.

"And let this be a lesson to you! Ozpin! Perhaps this will teach you to show respect where it is deserved!"

Ozpin stared at Julius before nonchalantly taking a sip of his coffee, completely unfazed by Julius' declaration.

"Unfortunately for you, Julius, this has been something I've known far longer than you could ever imagine, and I still do give respect to those who _deserve _it," answered Ozpin, "Is that not so, Mr. Arc?"

Julius narrowed his eyes at Ozpin.

_What is he playing at?_

"It is indeed, Headmaster."

Julius' blood turned cold at that.

_Impossible._

Slowly the man turned around hoping that his ears had deceived him, but alas there his son stood completely unharmed with his equally unharmed teammates standing around him. They all had smiles of varying degrees on their faces that were full of confidence, a complete foil to how they were before. Jaune met Julius' look with a hard stare of his own, one that was so very familiar…

"Now then, father," stated Jaune as he slowly pulled his hood over his head.

Julius could have sworn that the boy's eyes started to glow.

"You were so kind as to show us a great amount of your power," Jaune continued.

The air around Jaune and his team started to grow heavier.

"I think it only fair…"

Julius felt a bead of sweat run down his face as he stared at what looked to be a demon with glowing white eyes.

"That we return the favor."

* * *

A small part of Jaune relished the look of shock his father had on his face at Jaune's entrance.

_If you like that, then you're gonna _love_ this._

Jaune disappeared in a flash of light, only to appear right behind the man. Jaune unsheathed his sword and horizontally sliced at his father's unprotected back in one swift motion. The unprepared patriarch barely managed to bring his shield up to block the incoming strike, but before he could even think of counter-attacking, Jaune was way out of reach. Julius looked utterly gob-smacked by Jaune's display leaving the rest of the family completely uncoordinated due to the absence of orders.

_As planned, but not enough._

Jaune smirked before he addressed his team.

"Remember the plan girls!"

With that, Jaune rushed forth, slamming Crocea Mors into his father's shield once again before teleporting behind him and slicing at the older man's legs. Jaune was then at a safe distance behind the Arcs before they could even react.

"What's the matter?" taunted Jaune, "Where's all that bravado from before, dad?"

This seemed to shake the older Arc out of his shock as he glared at Jaune.

"Don't think so highly of yourself, that was just a fluke! Just because you have somehow found your semblance, it does not mean anything!"

Jaune shrugged.

"Perhaps it doesn't mean anything, but neither does your senseless shouting and dumb lectures."

"How dare you speak to father like that!" roared Sierra as she charged forth, her claymore poised to strike.

Jaune smirked as he thought back to his meeting with the rest of ABSN:

_ "So what happens after we've thoroughly pissed them off and baited out their 'cards'?" asked Blake._

_Jaune grinned._

_ "That's when we go on the counter-offensive," he stated matter-a-factly, "And if you can still rile them up while doing so, more power to you."_

_ "Why would we still want to rile them up?" asked Weiss._

_ "Think of it this way," started Jaune, "If everything goes according to plan, they are going to be fairly disoriented and confused therefore making them more angry…"_

_ "Will only drive them into further confusion to the point of dysfunction," finished Pyrrha._

_ Jaune pointed to her with a nod._

_ "So we have four angry, confused Arcs, then what?" asked Weiss._

_ "Think Weiss, what happens to a group of confused and angry people trying to work together as a team?" said Jaune._

_ "What? People who are confused and angry can never truly work together because order at that point would be almost… impossible..."_

_ "Because each individual would be acting on their own emotions rather than their intelligence and therefore they are easier to separate and pick off one by one," finished Jaune with a grin._

Jaune quickly ducked under a slice from his sister before performing a leg sweep, sending the woman to the floor before he flipped backwards. Before Sierra could get back onto her feet, Pyrrha was upon her, stabbing Milo at Sierra's head, only missing by inches when Sierra rolled away. Sierra jumped to her feet and swung her claymore in a 360-degree arc forcing Pyrrha to jump clear only for one of Weiss' gravity glyphs to appear at Sierra's feet, which brought the woman to her knees. Pyrrha then followed up by tossing Akouo into Sierra's face sending the woman flying backwards while Akouo flew back to its owner who caught it expertly. Sierra continued to roll before she managed recover and land on her feet and she glared at her attackers.

"Is that all you've got?!" she growled.

Her answer was Milo's edge in javelin form flying right towards her heart. Sierra immediately jumped out of the way… right into another waiting glyph where Weiss summoned several icicles entrapped the eldest Arc daughter in a makeshift prison. Sierra growled in annoyance and frustration as she struggled to get free. During this time, Jaune calmly made his way towards her. Upon spotting her brother, Sierra's struggles became even more intense as her anger flared.

"Using tricks like this to get your way! 'True Arc' my foot!" she roared, "Face me head on you coward!"

Jaune smirked.

"You want head on?"

Suddenly Jaune's aura started to flare like white fire. The next instant Jaune was standing behind Sierra with his back to her and Crocea Mors out. Sierra didn't make a sound as she fell forward, unconscious, Jaune didn't need to hear the gasps from the audience to know that Sierra's aura readings now read zero. Jaune turned to face the rest of the Arcs whom were staring at him with various looks of shock/surprise.

_"Isn't such a tactic fairly underhanded?" asked Pyrrha with a frown on her face._

_ Jaune simply gave her a deadpanned look._

_ "Pyrrha don't act like you don't play dirty once in a while, hell, you augment all of your movements using your semblance and purposefully lead people to think that it's simply your natural prowess."_

_ Pyrrha blushed in embarrassment as the others laughed good-naturedly._

_ "And besides our opponents are a bit too powerful to truly face head on, so we'll simply have to make like David when he fought a Goliath."_

"I-Impossible."

Jaune stared at his father's look of pure shock as he stared at his eldest daughter lying on the floor unconscious. It was a look that honestly looked so foreign on a face that for so long looked down at him with such contempt, such cruelty, such… _**disappointment**_**.**

_Look at me now father. Watch as the very boy that you wish to throw out shows you his true strength. I wonder, are you still disappointed?_

Jaune frowned as the thought crossed his mind.

_…But what am I thinking, I never did it for you._

A certain red-headed Spartan, a white-haired heiress, and a raven haired bookworm crossed his mind causing his expression to soften.

_ No. I did it for the only people I can truly call my family._

Suddenly like an electric shock, energy flowed through the young Arc causing a big smile to appear on his face.

"One down, three to go," he stated both for his team's benefit and to jab at his foe's moral.

_ "Before we continue there is something we need to address first, something REALLY important…"_

_ Jaune paused for dramatic effect causing the girls leaned forward in anticipation._

_ "We need, a catch phrase!"_

_ The rest of ABSN promptly face-faulted._

_ "I think I just lost all respect for our leader," stated Weiss as she got back up._

_ "Oh c'mon, at least hear me out," begged Jaune, "Think of it as a call to arms, like our 'mission start' queue."_

_ "Is that really necessary?" asked Blake with a sigh._

_ "Yes."_

_ Jaune saw Pyrrha giggling from the corner of his eye making him smile as well. Already some of the tension from earlier seemed to dissipate, which was what he had originally planned for. But now on to important matters._

_ "Ready to hear what I was thinking of saying?"_

_ "I supposed," muttered Weiss speaking for the rest._

_ Jaune smiled._

Jaune's smile must have looked dark since it caused some of the audience to reel back a bit in a similar way that his teammates did when he first introduced them to his new "catch phrase". Honesty though, it was fitting for what the phrase was:

"Team ABSN, hunt them down."

* * *

Blake immediately sprung into action, charging headlong towards the next "candidate for separation", as Jaune dubbed it, who so happened to be a hapless Claudia Arc.

_Separate the target from the rest of the group, and then strike._

Blake grinned at how accurate Jaune's "catch phrase" was. This was indeed like a hunt, with ABSN being the hunters and the Arc family as the hunted.

_This sounds like the synopsis of a horror story._

Blake put the thought in the back of her head for later scrutiny as she closed in on her intended target who finally seemed to realize that she was in imminent danger. Claudia instinctively prepared to parry, something that may have worked against an opponent like Weiss, but not her. Blake immediately sent a clone forward as she herself slowed down and vaulted into the air. The clone continued forth with Claudia being none the wiser. By the time Claudia realized the ruse, Blake was already landing behind her as the clone dissipated Blake immediately moved to slash only for her blades to meet open air as the woman to dance away from the strike. Claudia pivoted on one foot before facing Blake with both her cutlasses poised for combat. Blake fell into her own combat pose as she thought back to ABSN's tactical meeting.

_ "So what happens after we take out one of the them?" asked Blake._

_ Jaune crossed his arms as he stared up at the ceiling._

_ "Well, at that point, we will have lost most of the element of surprise," surmised Jaune before he lifted a finger, "But not all of it and that small bit of surprise will be key for taking out the second."_

_ The rest of the team silently waited for the boy to continue as he collected his thoughts._

_ "At this point we can't really separate them by goading, they'll know how to counteract that and our window of opportunity will vanish," stated Jaune, "Which is why we'll simply have to take the initiative and attack them."_

_ "Are you saying that we should meet them all head on?" asked Weiss, "Isn't that what you specifically stated _not_ to do?"_

_ "Yes, and that's why we attack to catch them off guard, making it easier to manipulate their movement to our advantage."_

_ "How so?" asked Pyrrha._

_ "Before I get into that," stated Jaune before he turned to Blake, "Blake?"_

_ Blake's ears perked up as her leader addressed her._

_ "How would you do against an opponent that doesn't know your fighting style and is completely flustered?"_

_ Blake blinked._

_ "An opponent like that would be easy pickings… why?"_

_ Jaune nodded in response before addressing the team as a whole._

_ "We will separate into two teams, one of comprising of three to hold off the other arcs, the other as a single opponent to quickly take out the intended target."_

_ Jaune turned to Blake again._

_ "Are you up for that challenge Blake?"_

So here Blake stood observing the target before her. From the corner of her eye she could see Jaune and Pyrrha herding Julius and Marissa away from her with Weiss providing support from a distance while also creating a blockade of glyphs. The plan was in action and it was all riding on her ability to take down the person in front of her quickly. Her team was counting on her and it was that thought that caused her assassin mode to kick in.

_Single target. Weapon type: duel wield swordsman. Current mental state…_

Blake spied a trickle of sweat making its way down the side Claudia's face as she fought to keep her composure all while her eyes flicked towards her father every once in a while. This caused Blake to smirk.

_Absolutely flustered. Target acquired._

With that Blake rocketed forward causing Claudia's eyes to refocus onto Blake, but the faunus girl knew that the woman's thoughts were elsewhere. Blake then activated her semblance to summon not one, but _five_ clones that separated from her and ran in tangent with her. This caused Claudia's eyes to widen as her eyes frantically flicked left and right, trying to figure out which Blake was the real Blake. Blake had the clones flank both sides and leap to attack her opponent at the same time. Claudia quickly moved to block the flanks thinking the faunus assassin would try to go from the side only for the clones to collapse into an eerie black smoke leaving Claudia hacking and coughing along with a glowing blue outline surrounding her that pulsed with her heartbeat.

_Target marked._

Blake made her attack then, stopping in front of the coughing Arc and slicing Gambol Shroud across Claudia's unsuspecting front and through the black cloud. Claudia stumbled backwards a bit before freezing up. Blake flicked the blade of Gambol Shroud by force of habit to get the blood of the target off it before sheathing her weapon and placing it on her back. The cloud and the glowing outline that was Claudia's aura pulsed faster and faster many could have sworn a heartbeat was heard.

**Ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-SQUELCH.**

At the final beat, the horrific sound was heard as the cloud exploded outwards before dispersing. Claudia's aura had all but disappeared. Blake looked into Claudia's shocked eyes before the woman fell forward only for Blake to catch her mid fall and gently place her onto the ground. Blake then put two fingers onto Claudia's neck. There was a pulse.

_Target… incapacitated._

Blake let out a sigh of relief. While his family indeed hated him, Blake was sure Jaune didn't really hate them back, that was just not who Jaune was. Thus Blake would be damned if she were to kill one of his sisters.

_**Unlike all those other people that you have killed with this same move.**_

Blake shook her head and turned to the rest of her team just in time for them to leap up beside her to face the remaining Arcs. Blake stole a glance at her team's aura levels and was relieved to see that they were all still in the green. But Blake knew that the hard part had just begun. Blake put her attention back to the Arc patriarch who looked absolutely furious.

"Two down, two to go," whispered her leader.

* * *

Weiss let out a small sigh at hearing those words. Things were going fairly smoothly so far, but only because their opponents underestimated them. Weiss could only imagine how this fight would have turned out had the Arcs treated them as equals.

_"Hubris is the downfall of most great warriors."_

Weiss let out a small smile as Winter's words crossed her mind. Indeed hubris was every warrior's greatest enemy and the man standing in front of her was the epitome of hubris as were his fallen daughters.

_Except…_

Weiss' eyes stopped on the daughter that was still standing, Marissa Arc, the third oldest child of the Arcs. Unlike her sisters or her father, the petite girl was unreadable thus it was hard to tell if she was truly as cocky as her other family members. That made her the most dangerous in her book.

_It's probably why Jaune is singling her out for last._

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the girl who simply ignored her in favor of staring at her younger brother.

"You okay there Weiss?"

Weiss was thrown out of her thoughts at the sound of her leader's voice.

"I-I'm fine, just trying figure out how we should approach this now."

The blonde boy hummed in thought.

"Well things are going pretty well so far, but…"

Jaune looked over his shoulder and Weiss met his eyes knowingly the memory of ABSN's meeting coming back to the forefront:

_"So since we're picking off the Arcs one by one, is there a specific order that we're doing this?" asked Blake._

_ "Unfortunately with the limited information that we have we can't really set anything in stone…" stated Jaune, "Except for one thing."_

_ Weiss looked at Jaune incredulously._

_ "And what would that be?"_

_ "My father is most likely to be one of the last ones that we're going to have to take out."_

_ Jaune lifted his hand at the questioning looks._

_ "Before you ask, the short story is that my father is a firm believer in the 'my minions must prove themselves' card."_

_ Weiss' face twisted in disgust at the familiar concept. It was the one her father always used._

_ "Because of this, we need to make sure that we execute this properly so that we have enough in reserves to fight my father."_

_ There were nods from Blake and Pyrrha at that while Weiss continued to think._

_ "But you said 'one of the last ones', are you suggesting that there's a chance that we may have to fight your father _and_ one of your sisters as well?"_

_ Jaune grimaced._

_ "Well, if what my gut is telling me is correct, then that is exactly what I'm suggesting."_

_ Blake furrowed her brows._

_ "If that's the case, can't we just separate them again?"_

_ Weiss shook her head._

_ "No… we can't because they would be able to see right through it at that point…"_

_ "There's that, but that's not the only reason," stated Jaune rather ominously._

_ Weiss stared at Jaune in worry. Usually Jaune was confident in any plan that he puts together thus it shook Weiss to the core to see her leader looking nervous._

_ "Even if we were to succeed in separating them, my father would have to be the one three people would go after… and by then he would most likely be taking us a bit more seriously…" Jaune put a hand on his head, "And that would leave one person to have to deal with…"_

_ Weiss waited for clarification, but when she got none from Jaune, she pushed._

_ "Who Jaune?"_

_ Jaune looked up at her with a frown marring his features and he spoke one word… or rather a name._

_ "Marissa."_

Weiss gritted her teeth. It seemed Jaune's gut was right. Marissa Arc was indeed the only one left standing beside her father and even with Pyrrha going up against her, they had next to nothing on her besides the fact that she carried a spear and even then…

_ "Marissa? Isn't she the small one?" asked Blake, "Why is she a problem?"_

_ Jaune looked down at the floor and gripped his hands together._

_ "Well maybe I'm just over-thinking things, but Marissa has always been known to be a 'Jack of all trades' type of fighter."_

_ Pyrrha's eyes widened at that, seeming to understand right away._

_ "Are you saying that she can use any type of weapon?"_

_ Jaune nodded._

_ "Due to this she's EXTREMELY unpredictable, which is why it's likely I may pit you against her Pyrrha, since you're our most experienced fighter in terms of arena fighting," he said before turning to Blake, "So I'm counting on you to give me an accurate description on Marissa in particular alright Blake?"_

_ Blake nodded understandingly._

_ "Well then, is there anything else to the plan?" asked Pyrrha._

_ Jaune frowned in thought,_

_ "Well at that point we'll have to play it by ear, I don't have enough information to really plan anything else…"_

_ Blake pushed off the locker she was leaning on._

_ "Then I guess we should get ready, our match is going to start pretty soon."_

_ Pyrrha nodded and started to walk towards the locker room exit with Blake right behind her. Weiss was about to follow when she saw Jaune looking at the floor with frown still on his face._

_ "Jaune? Is everything alright?"_

_ Jaune looked up at Weiss looking slightly conflicted. He then shook his head and smiled._

_ "Sorry, just going over the plan again in my head, let's catch up with the others."_

Weiss brought her attention back on their opponents once again.

_What can we do against this? If not separating them then what could work?_

Weiss could tell Jaune was going over the same facts as her and unfortunately like her it seemed that he was drawing blanks.

_If only we had more time._

It was with that thought that time decided to show it's ugly sense of humor.

"It seems that I may have under estimated you," growled Julius finally regaining his bearings.

Weiss watched as Julius' aura started to glow brighter once again as he seemed to take on a more serious fighting position.

"I will admit I'm impressed at your performance, but this ends now," he said before looking over his shoulder, "Marissa, I expect you to follow me as well!"

Marissa looked over at her father with an almost bored expression before she sighed and jabbed her spear into the floor. Weiss' eyes widened when she saw the spear simply shatter like glass, the shards dispersing into the air.

_What in the…_

"Oh… shit."

Weiss turned towards her leader and saw that he looked a bit pale.

"What is it Jaune?" asked Pyrrha.

Weiss looked back at Marissa only to see her wave her hands for an… umbrella to appear?

"So… there's something I may have neglected to tell you guys so that we can focus on the plan…" muttered Jaune a bit sheepishly.

Marissa's blinked and instead of bright blue eyes, Weiss saw a pair of miss-matched eyes, one white, the other… pink. Weiss suddenly felt something creep up in her gut as her memory start to race.

"You know how I had some worries about my sister Marissa?" asked Jaune, "Well… she kinda has a reputation… and a nickname."

Suddenly the sound of glass shattering caught the team's attention as they looked towards Marissa. Only instead of the petite, blonde-haired woman that they were fighting before, another woman stood in her place, this one having long hair with one half being brown and the other pink with a white streak. And instead of her usual stoic expression, this woman had a conniving smirk on her face as she looked at Jaune. Weiss felt sweat trickle down the side of her face as memories of a certain news article made its way to the forefront.

_**HUNTRESS TAKES OUT NEVERMORE NEST**_

_** It seems that humanity can claim another victory against the Grimm menace as one of the largest Nevermore nests in all of Vale has been single-handedly taken out by an aspiring huntress. Eye-witnesses described the resulting battle as a 'slaughter house' with the Grimm standing no chance against the might of the single huntress. I had the pleasure of speaking to this huntress firsthand and when I asked for her name she simply replied-**_

"Neopolitan," whispered Weiss in slight fear.

The said woman seemed to hear her as she turned to look at Weiss for the first time and cock her head. Suddenly woman seemed to shatter in a similar way the spear did.

"Weiss! Behind you!" shouted Jaune.

Weiss instinctively moved Myrtenaster to parry an incoming blow just in time to avoid being stabbed by the end of an umbrella. Standing there with a maniacal grin was Marissa "Neopolitan" Arc, dubbed the "Angel of Death" by the media after her destruction of the Nevermore Nest which had consisted of over twenty fully grown Nevermore and many more juveniles and hatchlings all still as dangerous as the parents. Weiss suddenly felt glad Jaune didn't divulge his sister's true identity earlier. If he did, she probably would have considered an early surrender. An option that was off the table as Marissa moved to attack again.

* * *

Pyrrha didn't know what had happened. At one point everything was going so well and the next, they find out that one of Jaune's sisters is one of the strongest huntresses to ever exist on Remnant. Honestly, while Pyrrha understood Jaune's reasons, she still was a bit peeved that Jaune didn't divulge such crucial information. Especially since Team ABSN now found themselves on the defensive with Marissa attacking them from all angles in a not unlike Jaune's and one that was much more refined. Soon the team found themselves herded together with their backs to each other.

"Jaune, a plan would be really nice right now!" shouted Pyrrha as blocked another strike from the girl.

"I'm working on it!" Jaune shouted back as he blocked quick jab from his sister.

Pyrrha gritted her teeth. She knew that these attacks weren't meant to hurt, but to manipulate. Marissa was setting them up for something… Pyrrha's eyes flicked towards the older Arc whose glow was steadily increasing.

_Oh no._

"Guys! We have to move! NOW!"

Right as Pyrrha said this, Julius burst forth at speeds that should have been impossible for someone as heavily armored as him. Pyrrha's eyes widened, she didn't have enough time to even react as the older Arc's shield came barreling towards her not unlike a freight train. It was then that Pyrrha's vision turned white for a split second before suddenly she felt her feet leave the ground the very next second. Pyrrha felt herself ram into Jaune and Weiss, their grunts telling her that she had hit them. The team barreled into the far wall, the impact causing debris to fly everywhere. Pyrrha coughed loudly as she struggled into a sitting position. Behind her Jaune and Weiss stirred as well.

"Is everyone okay?" groaned Jaune.

"As okay as I can be," answered Weiss.

"I'm alright as well surprisingly," Pyrrha stated.

Pyrrha was fairly surprised given how powerful Julius' attack appeared.

_Perhaps it was a feint? But know it had enough power to send us flying across the arena… So what prevented the attack from…_

Suddenly Pyrrha felt her stomach drop and she also felt a small weight on her lap, furthering her fears. Pyrrha slowly looked down hoping beyond hope that her fears were incorrect, but unfortunately, fate wasn't that kind as lying in a mangled heap was Blake having taken the brunt of Julius' attack for Pyrrha.

"BLAKE!" cried Pyrrha as she gingerly flipped the girl onto her back cradling her head.

The girl was a mess, even with aura, it looked like Blake had several broken bones and the blood trailing out of the girl's mouth simply added to the guilt that Pyrrha felt. Pyrrha heard Weiss' gasp and Jaune quickly scramble to the other side of Blake to assess the damage for himself. Amazingly, Blake opened eyes looking up at Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha?" she whispered hoarsely

"D-Don't speak, save your strength!" begged Pyrrha, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Blake simply smiled weakly up at her.

"You… seem okay… that's good…"

"How could you be so foolish!" chastised Weiss beside Pyrrha, "Pyrrha was better equipped to handle such an assault!"

Pyrrha lowered head. True she was, but in the heat of the moment, she hesitated forcing Blake into action. She took the hit that Pyrrha failed to block due to her own inadequacy. Blake on the other hand simply continued to smile a pained smile.

"I… knew that… but I never… wanted to see… the ones I love hurt… never again…"

Blake slowly closed her eyes as she spoke, slipping into unconsciousness. Weiss panicked beside her.

"Blake? Blake?!" she cried in alarm.

"She's fine," stated Jaune, his voice sounding cold and emotionless.

Pyrrha herself could only stare down at the crumpled form in her arm. Blake's words haunted her to the core it triggered… something within her. Something long forgotten. Lost.

_Never again…_

Slowly Pyrrha felt a familiar fury starting to build up.

_Never again…_

Pyrrha grit her teeth as the sound of her heartbeat suddenly grew prominent in her ears, its rhythmic pace rapidly increasing.

_Never._

Pyrrha saw the corners of her vision turn blood red.

_Again._

The rage was about ready to consume her, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Pyrrha head snapped up to glare at the one who dared lay a hand on her only for her fury to disappear for a moment upon seeing her leader's calm stare.

"Don't give in to anger," Jaune said.

Pyrrha slowly lowered her head as she tried to reel in her emotions, ashamed that she had almost lost it when suddenly she felt Jaune lean in next to her ear.

"But don't let it dissipate either."

Pyrrha looked up at Jaune as he leaned back. Looking into those ocean blue eyes, Pyrrha saw it, the smoldering fury that they held despite the boy's calm expression. Jaune slowly got up.

"Manipulate it to your advantage instead," he continued, "So that we can make them reap what they have sown, partner."

Pyrrha looked up at Jaune with her own constrained fury.

"Weiss," said Pyrrha.

"Y-yes?"

"Take care of Blake."

Pyrrha felt Weiss move to sit right next to her, pulling Blake into her arms. Once Pyrrha was sure that Weiss had Blake, Pyrrha stood up with her leader. Together they turned to stare down the cause of their teammate's pain. Upon seeing the look of contempt on Julius' face, Pyrrha felt something primal build up within her. She made sure to reel it in of course, but she couldn't help some of the expressions from making it to the forefront. Not that Pyrrha cared. The thought of paying back those who tried to take her happiness away with pain… was just so _thrilling_ to think about.

* * *

Ruby Rose didn't know what to think of the scene in front of her. The fight had been an extremely interesting one, one that kept her at the edge of her seat. She understood the tactics that Jaune had his team execute and could only gush at the way they were executed. She always had the highest respect for the members of team ABSN despite the way they treated her team. Perhaps it was hero worship, or her stubborn resolve to befriend everyone in the school. Regardless of the reason, after her talk with Pyrrha, Ruby felt that she could connect to them on a certain level, at least with the red-headed champion. Thus as she looked at the said girl standing beside her leader who portrayed the epitome of silent fury that shook her to the core, Ruby could only shiver even more with one simple thought.

_Why is Pyrrha smiling?_


	14. Ours is the Fury

**Chapter 12 Part 2: Ours Is the Fury**

_"Stupid dad, stupid sword, stupid legacy!"_

_ These were the words of a child who had just been admonished for not doing enough despite doing his best. Jaune Arc, age eleven was fighting back tears after receiving yet another rather brutal training session again ending without any of the progress Jaune's father desired. At this point Jaune figured his father was simply using him as a punching bag both physically and verbally. To think that three months ago Jaune was actually excited at the prospect of training, to become the next great hero like all of his ancestors and make his family proud of him._

_ "I'm doing my best, I'm always doing my best!" Jaune ranted as he kicked a stick out of his way in his childish fury, "But does Dad ever notice? Noooooo. Stupid!"_

_ Jaune's life had started so well, growing up, his mother wasn't overbearing, his sisters constantly doted over him like he was some sort of prince (much to Jaune's embarrassment), and his father always looked to him like he was a symbol of pride. But that all changed after Jaune's tenth birthday when his father decided that it was time to train him. Now? His sisters were starting to distance themselves from him both in fear of father's fury descending upon them and because of personal distaste. Jaune didn't understand it at first, but now, now he knew it was because of how much of a failure he was. This thought quelled the fury in the child's heart temporarily as melancholy replaced it, bringing Jaune to his knees as tears finally started to form._

_ "Why can't they ever notice how hard I'm trying?" whimpered Jaune._

_ For a while Jaune simply sat where he was, his father's final words to him that night before leaving Jaune on the training room floor bruised by bleeding. His body still hurt, but not as much as his heart, his pride, his very _soul_. _

_ "Why? Why? WHY?!" Jaune repeated towards the sky._

_ SNAP._

_ Jaune jumped at the sudden noise and looked around frantically only to pale. In his fits of fury Jaune had accidently gone beyond the protective boundaries of his village. He was in Grimm territory. And he was just _oozing_ negative energy._

_**Grrrrrrrr.**_

_Jaune slowly turned around only to see an alpha Beowolf glaring down at him with its blood red eyes. Jaune stared into those eyes and for some reason he saw the fact of his father with those exact same eyes. It was then that Jaune couldn't contain himself any longer as all of his pent up anger surged forth and he shouted at the top of his lungs unchained fury. It likely only sounded like a high pitched squeal to anyone listening, but it did seem to give the alpha pause as it wondered why its prey wasn't screaming in fear but rather anger. The pause wore off as quickly as it came as the alpha lifted its massive arm to crush the child under it. Jaune made no move to avoid it. What was the point? It's not likely that his father would miss him anyway. So Jaune continued to shout planning to do so until he could do so no longer, shutting his eyes as he waited for pain._

_ SLICE!_

_ Jaune jumped at the startling sound of a blade cutting through flesh. When he opened his eyes he saw the headless body of the alpha crumpling to the floor with a heavy thud that sent Jaune onto his butt. Jaune didn't really care as he stared at his savior. _

_ "Well now," stated a sultry, distinctly feminine voice, "What is the scion of the Arc Family doing out at this time of night?"_

Jaune's eyes never left his father as his mind returned from the land of memories. It was the day Jaune learned how to play a little game of pretend. The day that he pretended to follow his father's path exclusively, the day he pretended that he did not notice the negative things people were saying about him, the day he pretended that he was just a happy-go-lucky boy who can never be angered. The truth of it all was that he followed another path, he was _hyper_ aware of _everything_ that was said, and most important of all… he was _always _angry. This path was what shaped him into the man that he was now and he had a certain old friend to thank for that…

_"Don't give in to anger, but don't let it dissipate either. Manipulate it to your advantage instead, so that you can make them reap what they had sown."_

Those were her words to him that night the words that spurred him into action, the words of a person that taught him everything that he knew. Now? He can finally take her teachings into action... this situation was perfect for it anyway. Besides, wasn't it supposed to be healthy to have an outlet or negative energy?

_ "What drives _you_ in a fight, Mr. Arc?"_

Jaune felt Ozpin's eyes on him, he knew that the old headmaster was watching this fight. He also knew, somewhere, somehow, that his old mentor was also watching. He would not let either of them down.

"You ready for this Pyrrha?" asked Jaune, finally acknowledging the girl beside him, his partner.

"Born ready," stated Pyrrha with a bit of glee if Jaune wasn't imagining things.

Jaune let out a snort. He couldn't blame her, after all Pyrrha was a warrior at heart and warriors live for a worthy battle even if spurred through the harm of a loved one. The mere thought of Blake caused Jaune's anger to grow ever brighter like a wild fire during the dry season. Jaune held it in for he knew he'd need that energy.

_"Manipulate it, and be stronger for it."_

Jaune smirked as he reached for his weapon. But this weapon was not Crocea Mors, rather it was the weapon that Jaune made with his own two hands, one made in honor of the person who started him down the right path.

_"That is a fine bow you have Jaune, what will you name it?"_

Jaune held the simple looking wooden bow in his hands almost reverently. It had been with him just as long, if not longer, than Crocea Mors had. It was a key factor to his survival out in the wild where the Grimm stalked every shadow. Where Crocea Mors represented his family name and legacy, the bow represented the pain, the suffering, and the sheer anger that Jaune hid away for so long. Thus it was only fitting that Jaune named his bow to symbolize those emotions as it was a physical part of Jaune's very soul.

"Same plan," said Jaune, "And we beat the living crap out of them for hurting Blake."

Jaune heard Pyrrha let out slightly maniacal giggle.

"Simple, I like it."

Jaune smirked as his drew an arrow from his quiver. He lovingly stroked his thumb over the handle of his bow as he allowed his aura to flare. His eyes flicked towards the display showing that his aura levels were still in the green.

_More than enough._

Jaune's aura spread onto the bow giving it a celestial white glow, the same went for the arrow that was notched onto the bowstring and as Jaune pulled the arrow back in preparation to release, the tip of the arrow seemed to burst in white flame. Jaune stared down his target as he did so, looking at the looks of surprise and slight fear. Yes Jaune had a decent affinity with Crocea Mors, but if one pushed him far enough to take out this bow… well…

"Strike true, _Ira_," Jaune whispered before he released the arrow.

* * *

**TH**WANG!

The arrow sounded more like a bullet of a high-powered rifle as it rocketed from Jaune's bow. Nobody saw the arrow fly as a split-second later it was right between the two Arcs before exploding in a blinding light, dazing any who were unfortunate enough to stare directly at it.

"You're up Pyrrha," said Jaune as he pulled out another arrow, "I've got your back."

Pyrrha didn't need to be told twice as she charged forth with speeds that she never new she possessed. As soon as Pyrrha was within range, she unleashed the full fury of Milo upon her dazed foes. While Marissa recovered rather quickly and somersaulted away, Julius was not so quick and met the full blow of a slash from Milo. Julius stumbled backwards from the bow and Pyrrha stepped up with him, not giving him any reprieve from her onslaught. It was only stopped when Marissa attempted to stab Pyrrha from behind, a blow, which Pyrrha blocked last second with Akouo. Before Marissa could continue her counter attack-.

**TH**WANG!

The arrow struck Marissa dead on only for her to shatter like glass only to reappear a few yards away from Pyrrha. Pyrrha looked behind her to see Julius attempting to charge him at the corner of her eye.

_Oh no you don't._

Pyrrha threw Akouo with precision at the older Arc's head forcing him to halt his advance. Pyrrha recalled Akouo as she leapt over to stand between Julius and Jaune.

"Where do you think you're going?" she growled.

Julius answered with a glare and sliced down at her with his sword.

**TH**WANG!

An arrow smacked right into the older Arc's oncoming sword causing it to fly out of his hand. Pyrrha then felt a tap on her shoulder before Jaune suddenly appeared before her flipping in the air before delivering a powerful kick that sent his father sprawling on the floor. He then notched another arrow all while still in the air and shot at his sister who attempted to rejoin the fight all the while his eyes remained trained on his father.

"Thanks for the assist partner," said Jaune.

"Anytime," answered Pyrrha as she stared at Marissa.

The two shared a brief glance before charging at their respective targets. Pyrrha made to stab at Marissa only for image to once again shatter. This time, however, Pyrrha was ready as she quickly placed Akouo on her back blocking a strike that would have hit her neck. Pyrrha then shifted Milo into its spear form giving Marissa a challenging look. Marissa cocked her head at Pyrrha before she dropped her umbrella to the floor where it is shattered away, she then called up on her halberd and got into her own fighting position that mirrored Pyrrha's. This caused the young Mistral champion to smirk.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," she couldn't help but say.

Marissa simply gave a one-shoulder shrug while her own smile widened with glee. The two then charged forward both trying to stab at one another with their respective weapons. It was truly a dance of blades as both fighters gracefully evaded or parried each other's blows all while attempting land a hit on the other. The shafts of the pole-arms sang as both women twirled them around all while keeping their eyes locked on one another. With each clash Pyrrha was starting to get a better read on the style of Marissa Arc and this only exhilarated her as she continued on with her onslaught. Fights like these were what Pyrrha Nikos lived for, win or lose she would remember this fight for likely the rest of her life.

_One thing I can say about the Arcs is that they have a couple of extremely skilled children._

When Pyrrha thought of this, she thought of Jaune and Marissa, both agile fighters who didn't really let hubris get the better of them, those were fighters that Pyrrha had come to respect.

CLASH! TING! WHIRLWHIRL! CLASH!

The duel raged on with neither fighter willing to give ground and with each clash Pyrrha started to notice things about Marissa that she never thought she would. It was as if she was catching a glimpse at Marissa's soul and it became more apparent with each second the fight went on.

CLASH! WHIRL! TING!

Marissa's eyes, they changed color more frequently when she became more emotional and they would only range through three colors: pink, brown, and white.

CLANG! CLANG! WHIRL! CLASH!

Those eyes… they were filled with a myriad of emotions.

TING! WHOOSH! CLANG!

_Glee._

CLANG!

_Pain._

TING!

_Anger._

WHIRL! CLANG!

_Sadness._

The two warriors finally separated from one another all while staring each other down. Only for Marissa to look away, her gleeful smile fading a more sincere… rueful one. Pyrrha meanwhile felt like she knew Marissa a bit better and because of that… she felt her inner fury towards her fizzle away. Call it a gut feeling or whatever you will, but something told Pyrrha that this was a family member that well and truly loved Jaune… in her own way. Pyrrha suddenly saw Marissa… no… Neopolitan in a different light. A girl who didn't want to the weight of a name to weigh her down, to make a name for herself that she could be proud of. This was something that Pyrrha aspired to have… but went about it wrong…

_Perhaps… I can learn a thing or two from this Arc._

**TH**WANG! **TH**WANG!

The sound of Jaune's arrows drew their attention to another duel that was happening on the other side of the arena. Julius looked rather imposing compared to Jaune with his full set of armor (minus the helmet) and his bulkier build. But Pyrrha knew that appearances weren't everything especially thinking back on how she handled the older Arc earlier. There more at stake in this fight however, as it was a fight between father and son, a fight for pride, respect, honor. Pyrrha turned to look at Neopolitan who looked back at her. An understanding without words was made as the two holstered/dismissed their weapons to watch the fight before them. As they did so, Pyrrha cast a glance at Neopolitan's eyes once more and saw a glint of pride as the woman watched her brother. Pyrrha smiled.

_I guess you were right after all, father._

* * *

Julius stumbled backwards after another flurry of attacks from Jaune's bow. It was as if he was being attacked from all sides by millions of skilled archer with the frequency the boy was able to teleport to wherever he wanted to go. Julius grit his teeth.

_Impossible. Impossible. IMPOSSIBLE!_

The boy was supposed to be the weak one, the one who couldn't follow the Arc code to save his life, the one who was unworthy to wield the mighty Crocea Mors.

_And yet here he stands victorious over my eldest daughters and keeping me on the defensive._

Julius stared at the boy in front of him.

_How? How is it you have become so powerful when you were so pathetic and useless during training?_

The said boy had no intention of reading the older man's mind as he once again disappeared in a blink of light, Julius expected another onslaught of arrows, but what he didn't expect was for Jaune to appear right in front of him. Julius got a glimpse of a smirk on the boy's face before he engaged Julius at close quarters, using his bow and bare hands to strike at vulnerable points in Julius' armor. So startled by this, Julius stumbled backwards for a couple of hits before he could retaliate with a large sweep of his shield, which Jaune easily avoided by flipping away and firing yet another arrow at Julius' face.

**TH**WANG.

The sound of each arrow firing was almost concussive and packed enough force on impact to send Julius flipping backwards onto his stomach. The man pushed himself up to glare at Jaune who simply looked back with a calm almost nonchalant expression on his face. At this rate Julius would slowly be beaten into submission with no way of retaliation. Julius flicked his eyes over to the only daughter that he had standing only to see that Marissa wasn't engaged in combat with the Nikos girl and was instead standing by her side observing the fight. From the way she was looking towards her brother, it was clear whom she was rooting for. Julius growled at this.

"I suppose you have done well, boy, for driving me into a corner like this," he said aloud for all to hear.

Jaune stood where he was, his only answer being that same nonchalant expression.

"It is clear to me that you have followed the same path as your dear sister over there," he stated waving his hand towards the said girl who simply looked back at him with a bored expression, "How very alike you are."

Jaune's eyes flicked towards Marissa before locking back onto Julius still not saying anything, still defiant. Julius smirked.

"Then again I shouldn't be surprised, after you were both orphaned at birth."

Julius watched as Jaune's face shifted into one of disbelief and for a second, the boy's battle stance went slack.

"Orphaned?"

Julius looked back towards his son who had his head down so that his hood's shadow covered his eyes.

"What do you mean orphaned?"

Julius saw the slight shiver, a telltale sign that the information had affected the boy to a certain degree. Julius relished in it.

"That's right, orphaned, you were _never_ any son of mine and being unable to follow even the simplest notions of the Arc Codex made you unworthy of ever being an Arc."

Julius watched as the boy started to tremble a bit at the new information being given to him and at the corner of his eye he saw Marissa glaring at him in silent fury. Feeling empowered, he continued.

"Thus it is best that I banished you from the Arc Family, you never belonged in the first place and quite frankly neither does your traitorous sister!" he shouted, "Neither of you are wanted in the walls of the Arc Manor!"

"If that is the case then Beacon will welcome them in with open arms."

Those words immediately cut through Julius' speech and he turned to glare at the man who had spoken the words. Ozpin continued on, his mug of coffee sitting to the side almost forgotten.

"And if we are revealing things about Jaune's past then I must also mention that you have no claim over Crocea Mors either for it was not for you to decide who would wield it, that sword is Jaune's and Jaune's alone."

Julius glared up at Ozpin.

_Damn you Ozpin. Damn you for always being there to muck everything up!_

"What a relief."

Julius looked back down at Jaune who put his bow back onto his back.

"Then I have no qualms finishing this up in style."

Julius blinked owlishly at the boy; it was as if anything the boy felt from the revelation was gone, replaced by that infuriatingly idiotic grin that he always wore.

"Since you're done with your monologue I'll say this," said Jaune before his eyes opened to reveal a certain fire in them, "_Fuck_ the codex, I make my own path."

It was then the boy unleashed the full fury of his aura enough to make Julius flinch while struggling to stay standing.

_This power… I never knew… then again why should I be surprised?_

For a split second Julius thought he saw someone else standing in Jaune's place, someone with the same blue eyes and blonde hair, someone from long ago, someone that Julius absolutely _despised_… and missed. The moment afterwards there was a flash of bright light and then pain. Despite such Julius had one lingering thought even as he fell.

_You truly are your father's son._

It was then that Julius succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

The arena was fill with yet another burst of light one that lingered for a while in its blinding brilliance before it finally died down leaving the bystanders to witness one Arc with his sword out standing tall and firm while the other lay on the ground completely unconscious. Honestly Weiss had thought for a split second that it was Julius, but immediately pushed that thought away upon seeing Jaune turning around with his grin still in place.

_Well I shouldn't be surprised, he is Jaune after all._

Weiss smiled at that before turning towards Neopolitan who was still standing next to Pyrrha with an oddly pleased smile on her face. Weiss blinked, she had been so focused on Jaune's fight that she never really paid any attention with Pyrrha and Neopolitan's exchange and judging from the way they were standing side by side, they had agreed on a ceasefire. As if sensing Weiss' stare, Neopolitan looked over at her and gave her conniving smile and a wink. Weiss could only smile awkwardly back before she looked down towards Blake.

_It's really a shame Blake, you missed quite a spectacle and you helped make it happen._

Suddenly Ozpin's voice cut through the palpable silence of the stunned arena.

"I believe that this fight has come to a conclusion and since my college seems to be a bit preoccupied with her thoughts at the moment, I shall make the final judgment call."

Weiss blinked and looked over towards where Glynda was standing and sure enough the disciplinary was still staring at Jaune long and hard for whatever reason only to turn to glare at Ozpin when he spoke.

"I do believe that the Arc Family still has one fighter left standing with full aura reserves," stated Glynda.

Weiss turned towards Neopolitan for her answer only to see the girl completely ignore Glynda and look towards Ozpin with a slight grin. It seemed that a mental conversation was exchanged as Ozpin gave a small smile back before turning to address Glynda.

"And that said fighter has declared her surrender a while ago, thus I think it official that this victory goes to team ABSN."

There was excited clapping, but only from one person as everyone else was still completely shell-shocked at the fight they had just witnessed. Weiss looked within the crowd and saw that it was Ruby Rose who was applauding with a happy look on her face. Honestly after how ABSN treated Ruby's team Weiss figured the young girl would be one of the last people to cheer for their victory.

_Well… how about that?_

"Now then," stated Ozpin completely unfazed by the lack of response from the audience, "If team ABSN would please see to Ms. Belladonna, the staff will look after the incapacitated Arc combatants and I would like to speak to Ms. Neopolitan in my office."

Neopolitan simply nodded calmly and disappeared with the sound of shattering glass something Weiss would probably never get used to.

_And that's not the only thing._

Weiss looked up just in time to see Jaune kneeling at the other side of Blake with a rueful look on his face with Pyrrha right beside him. Weiss stared at the two and she was reminded of Jaune's look of repressed anger and Pyrrha' gleeful smile. Watching the two fight was like watching two storms rage in one place. During the fight Weiss remembered having only one thought and that was relief that she wasn't on the receiving end of that anger. This was a side that Weiss never thought she would see on the two seemingly unbreakable warriors, but then again, she knew that both held a certain amount of pain in their hearts even if they were practiced in keeping it hidden.

_And I would know… I'm one of them._

"You okay there Weiss?" asked Jaune snapping Weiss out of her thoughts.

"Yes, I'm alright."

Jaune stared at Weiss for a few moments before he let out a smile.

"C'mon, let's get Blake out of here."

With that he carefully took the injured girl into his arms. Pyrrha walked up to Weiss and held her hand out for her, which Weiss graciously accepted.

* * *

Ozpin walked down the halls towards his office all the while he couldn't help but take a trip down memory lane during a time of his youth when things seemed so much brighter. There he saw a young blonde man with blue eyes determined to take on the world and not letting some stupid 'destiny' get in his way to greatness. Ozpin smiled at the memory.

_You are definitely an interesting boy Mr. Arc, you have exceeded all of my expectations._

It was then that Ozpin's smile slowly started to fade.

_But I wonder how you will handle the dark times that are ahead?_

Ozpin put those thoughts in the back of his mind for later mulling as he walked into his office where he found Neopolitan staring out at Beacon's vast campus through the large window behind Ozpin's desk. Upon hearing Ozpin's entrance, the girl turned towards the headmaster, her playful smirk gone, replaced with a serious grimace. Ozpin walked up to stand next to Neo staring out at the campus.

"So it's begun hasn't it?" he asked.

There was no answer, but Ozpin seemed to already know the answer as he sighed.

"It was only a matter of time, but I had hoped that fate would be kind enough to prolong the inevitable."

Silence pervaded the office for a while before a soft voice spoke.

"What would you have us do in the meantime Headmaster?"

Ozpin turned towards Neo with a grim expression.

"We prepare."


	15. Recovery

**Ch. 13: Recovery**

_"The clouds are so pretty today…"_

_ Jaune stared at the white fluffy clouds floating freely in the blue yonder._

_ "Hmm," he answered half-heartedly._

_ Suddenly he felt something poke him in the cheek causing him enough discomfort to scrunch his nose and make a noise of protest._

_ "You're brooding again," stated Jaune's assailant._

_ Jaune looked away._

_ "No I'm not," he grumbled._

_ "Oh? Then how come I see your pouty face?" _

_ Jaune groaned at that._

_ "I'm not a little kid anymore…" he whined._

_ A lofty giggle danced through Jaune's ears like the sweetest melody, not that Jaune would ever admit it._

_ "Then what are you right now?"_

_ Jaune thought for a moment before he smiled and lifted a fist up towards the sky._

_ "I'm a hero!" he declared._

_ Another giggle joined the breeze. Slender fingers slipped into Jaune's hair and gently combed it, the feeling being absolutely therapeutic. It was so relaxing that Jaune eyes started to drift shut. But before he could go to dream land, _her_ voice whispered softly in his ear._

_ "Then stay true to that claim and always remember to have something to fight for, my little hero."_

Jaune slowly opened his eyes staring at the clouds floating above him without a care in the world. Memories of that day were still fresh in his mind categorized as one of the few good ones that he had of his hometown. During a time when his family had but given up on him and only one individual was willing to give him the time of day.

Jaune sat up and stared out towards Vale from under the lone tree on the small hill that sat at the edge of the campus just right of the air docks. Jaune could hear the sound of city life as its residents went about with their daily lives. It was the start of the weekend, but the city still bustled with activity as the weekend shoppers navigated around the markets and clothes stores that lined the streets. Having grown up in a more rural part of Remnant, Jaune couldn't help but feel intrigued in how the city dwellers ran their lives. They had the right to do whatever they wanted and had almost no cause to fear the Grimm due to the walls that surrounded the city along with the knowledge that they had hunters ready to defend them should calamity rear its ugly head. But Jaune looked at Vale and couldn't help but feel… disappointed. How "free" can one be when they practically live in a cage? Completely restricted within the confines of that cage until they wish to depart to yet another cage at the other side of the world and hunters were supposed to preserve this.

"Something to fight for… eh?" muttered Jaune as he narrowed his eyes.

He'd be hard pressed to want to fight for the same thing that most of the other hunters fought for… or at least were _expected _to fight for. Jaune thought of his sister, Neo and her exploits throughout Remnant alongside her team after she graduated from Beacon. Jaune remembered how excited he'd get in hearing about her in the newspaper even as the rest of the family called her reckless and barbaric.

_But they're not your actual family… not by direct means anyway._

Jaune let out a heavy sigh. Oh yes, he remembered his fath- Julius Arc's words to him at the end of the fight where Jaune's world came crashing down upon those harsh, but honest words. Jaune along with Neo were never part of the family to begin with.

_"That's right, orphaned, you were _never_ any son of mine…"_

Jaune felt saddened about this of course, not many would be able to simply shake off the fact that the people that for the longest time were believed to be blood kin, people that can be related to, were never so and never will be. It was a blatant statement that Jaune was well and truly without family of blood and the only true family member he may have was perhaps Neo, but only due to the fact that they were both orphans. Plus, Neo had always been… distant. Yet, even as these depressing thoughts flowed through Jaune's head, there was also a good amount of another emotion: relief. Oh yes, Jaune hadn't forgotten the fact that this same family that he thought was related by blood, had also turned their backs to him immediately labeling him as a failure when he couldn't deliver what they wished for. Despite this he had toiled and suffered in a desperate attempt to please them so that they may accept him and grant him their love. Now however, Jaune felt… free. Couple that with the fact that Crocea Mors was also never Julius' to take and it almost made the whole "orphaned" thing forgivable. "Almost" being the key word in this case. Jaune glanced back up at the clouds still as they were before, free from the shackles of mortal life and simply existing to float where many thought the gods resided. Jaune slowly reached up towards the sky with his hand outstretched.

_"I'm a hero!"_

Jaune stared at his hand and the clouds beyond as the words of his younger self flowed through his head. It was a notion that he had still not given up on despite the hardships he had endured all throughout his life. He still wanted to be a hero, but a hero of what?

_"Then stay true to that claim and always remember to have something to fight for, my little hero."_

Jaune thought of the city dwellers and the caged life they lived and immediately rejected the thought of joining others to preserve that "peaceful way of life". He then thought of ridding the world of the plague known as the Grimm, but such a deed could also be done by the most heinous of criminals or anyone skilled with weaponry and aura. What makes a hero then? Jaune continued to stare at the sky as if it would hold his answers for him.

_Perhaps… perhaps I can fight for humanity's freedom._

A hero was one who fought for a cause greater than themselves one that would benefit all of mankind. To fight for the day where humanity would not have to live within the confines of the small walls they were forced to erect… it would be a good cause to fight for… or so Jaune believed.

_Yet it doesn't feel right._

Jaune frowned as he didn't feel enough motivation to fight for such a thing. Then again perhaps it was due to his past. Why should he fight for a people who had willingly made a mockery of him who either spat in his face or shunned his existence? Why should he save them? Why should he _fight _for them?

_Because that's what heroes do._

Truly? Then what was so great about being a hero?

_"Remember to have something to fight for..."_

Jaune's frown slowly melted away as those words came back.

"Something to fight for…"

It was then that images started to flash in his head; images of three individuals that had become closer than the Arcs had ever come. Jaune slowly allowed a smile to grace his lips.

_That's right… how could I forget?_

Jaune did have a family and that family name was not Arc and his home was not a rural town in the outskirts of Vale. No, his family name… it was known as ABSN and his home was a hunter's academy built to teach hopeful hunters and huntresses… hopeful heroes achieve greatness, its name a symbolic title of hope. Jaune slowly closed his outstretched hand into a fist as a look of determination fell upon his face. What did he fight for? The answer was as clear as day.

_I fight for Pyrrha._

An image of a smiling redheaded girl with her long hair tied in a ponytail and with bright emerald eyes appeared.

_ I fight for Weiss._

Another image appeared, this time of a girl with angelic white hair also tied into a ponytail only off the one side. One with a stern, yet compassionate look with a trademark scar over one eye.

_I fight for Blake._

The next image appeared of a girl with long, raven colored hair, soul-piercing yellow eyes and a black bow nestled upon her head where it hid a secret that was not so secret in Jaune's eyes.

_I fight for Beacon._

Jaune didn't need to look at the school behind him, he knew that it was there, and he would make sure it stood there for many others like him to fulfill their dreams.

_I fight…_

Jaune let a grin appear on his face.

_For ABSN… my family._

For a while Jaune held his pose elated with the feeling he had… until his armed suddenly cramped up from being held in one position for too long.

_Aaaaand the moment's ruined._

Despite the pain and embarrassment, Jaune still had a smile on his face. Despite his past, he now had a hopeful future, he felt like he could take on the world without any regrets. Of course, there was still the fact that Jaune did not know who his true parents were… if they were even still alive, but all things in good time.

_Enough moping about the past… it's time to start looking to the present and the future beyond…_

"Jaune!"

Jaune almost laughed right then.

"Speaking of the present," he muttered to himself before Jaune turned to spot his partner running up the hill a look of excitement on her face.

"What's up Pyrrha?" asked Jaune with a smile on his face.

Pyrrha paused in front of Jaune to catch her breath before she stood up straight with a smile.

"Blake is finally awake!"

* * *

The first thing Blake was introduced to when she came to was the lingering smell of antibacterial cleaners, faded but there. The smell wasn't bad per say, but it wasn't the most pleasant smell either, it reminded Blake of hospitals… Blake slowly opened her eyes to be greeted with a white ceiling, sunlight flickering off of it through nearby windows. At first Blake was confused about where she was, but soon memories began to surface and she soon knew what her situation was.

_I'm in the infirmary._

Blake remembered what sent her here in the first place and almost chuckled.

_To think that I've trained all my life so that I would not be in one of these situations and yet here I am._

Blake sighed as she thought back on the fight.

"Did we win?" she muttered out loud.

"Of course we did, have a bit more faith in your leader."

Blake practically leapt up from her prone position, pressing herself against the headboard of the bed she was on as her eyes frantically searched for the source of the sudden noise. Her eyes came to rest upon a certain white-haired heiress who was currently looking at her in a mix of surprise and amusement. Blake relaxed upon seeing her partner before her emotions flared up again only this time out of embarrassment.

"O-Oh, h-hey Weiss, I didn't see you there."

Weiss lifted her brow at Blake, her expression screaming that she was unimpressed at the usually hyperaware faunus for her blunder… although the smile on Weiss' face said otherwise.

"To be expected; with the blow you took I'm surprised that you weren't out for longer," said the heiress before she shook her head, "Honestly, what were you thinking when you decided to jump into what may as well have been a fully loaded dust truck?"

Blake felt a bit sheepish at that.

"If I were to be honest with you? I don't know… I think it was more of a spur of the moment thing."

It was then that an image of Pyrrha standing there completely unprepared came to the forefront of her mind. It was then that memories of her thought process at that very moment flooded through her mind. It was not really Pyrrha she saw at first, but someone else, someone that was long gone, but that Blake couldn't let go. Blake remembered wanting to save her… wanting to push her out of harm's way…

"Blake?"

Blake snapped out of her brooding at the sound of Weiss' concerned voice. Blake shook her head and looked up at her partner.

"Sorry, I think I still may be a little out of it," she said trying desperately to avoid the subject, "How long was I out?"

The heiress stared at Blake for what seemed like hours with those cold, calculating eyes of hers before Weiss relented with a sigh.

"About a day, you missed today's classes, but the headmaster waived our entire team from classes due to the level of strain we had to go through in that fight," stated Weiss.

Blake nodded thoughtfully as she stared out the window of the infirmary, which faced the cliff that separated Beacon's campus from Emerald Forest.

"And what about the fight itself? What happened while I was out?"

There was silence at first causing Blake to look over towards Weiss only to see an almost haunted expression on the heiress' face.

"Let's just say that I bore witness to the true faces of our leader and his partner."

Blake frowned at the vague answer, but she still had at least an idea of what had happened.

_Now that Weiss mentions them…_

"Where are Jaune and Pyrrha now?" asked Blake looking around the infirmary fearing that she might see one of them on a bed as well.

"They're on their way as we speak," stated Weiss before she looked to the side, "Jaune had to take a walk to clear his head so Pyrrha went to fetch him as soon as you started to stir."

Blake looked towards Weiss, bothered by the subdued tone the heiress had in her voice but chose not to comment on it.

"Why is that? It's not like it was that bad, especially since I got back up as quickly as I did, besides, I've been through worse before," stated Blake instead.

_During my time in the White Fang._

Blake chose not to voice the last part for obvious reasons. Weiss slowly looked back towards Blake again and stared for a while before a bitter smile appeared on the heiress' face.

"Tell that to Pyrrha," said Weiss, a slight bite to her words that caused Blake to flinch.

An awkward silence pervaded the room as Blake twiddled with her thumbs trying to figure out what to say that wouldn't cause the heiress to sink deeper into her moody state. Before she could speak, however, Weiss beat her to the punch with a comment that nearly stopped her heart.

"You look good without the bow by the way."

Blake's eyes widened as her hand immediately rocketed towards her head and confirmed that the bow that had been concealing her identity as a faunus was no longer nestled there showing off her cat ears to the world.

_How can I not have noticed?!_

Blake searched frantically for where the bow may be only to spot the familiar black fabric nearby… in the hands of the heiress. Blake's blood ran cold as she slowly looked up towards the other girl's face only to see an amused smile on the heiress' face.

"Before you ask, no it wasn't me that removed the bow, it was the nurse because she had to check for any injuries to your ears," said Weiss motioning towards the appendages sticking out of Blake's head.

Blake grit her teeth.

_What gave them the right to remove my bow? How dare they breach my privacy!_

It was then that the logical side chimed in.

_Because you were bodily injured and the most sensitive spot in that regard is the head, medical staff are trained to search for injuries wherever they may lurk._

Blake sighed, knowing that she was just overreacting, but honestly who could blame her? Her partner was kidnapped by a faunus organization for blackmail material, the very same organization that Blake came from and now Weiss knows that she is a faunus and now most likely hates her.

…

Suddenly Weiss' initial words flowed back into Blake's head.

"Wait… what did you say before?" asked Blake.

Weiss lifted a brow.

"That it wasn't me who removed the bow?"

"No I mean before that."

Weiss frowned for a bit before realization hit her and a smile formed on the heiress' face.

"Oh, I said that you look good without a bow."

Blake stared owlishly at the white-haired girl.

"You… you don't care?"

"About what?" asked Weiss cocking her head to one side.

"That I'm a faunus."

Weiss stared at Blake with a deadpanned look.

"You know Blake, you really shouldn't assume a person's traits because of their family name; I thought this recent battle taught you that."

_Recent battle? Oh right… the Arcs…_

It was true that Jaune was nothing like the family who had raised him, so why should Weiss be any different? A loud sigh from Weiss once again took her from her thoughts.

"I suppose it's not your fault for thinking such things, after all I'm the heiress to the oh so evil Schnee Dust Company," said Weiss sarcastically before she smirked at Blake, "But grouping me with their lot because I hold the same family name is just plain cruel."

Weiss gently placed Blake's bow on her lap before Weiss stood up and walked towards the windows to stare out at Emerald Forest.

"I want to be my own person, like everybody else here," whispered Weiss in a low voice, "Sure I'll most likely be constantly judged for what my father and his compatriots have done, but I want to send a different message, one that shows that not everyone in the Schnee Dust Company is that cruel."

Blake stared at the girl's back wide-eyed as the last part of her sentence resonated within her. Blake thought of her affiliation with the White Fang and how much she wanted to break away from such a past. Blake stared down at the bow in her hands, the fabric that Margaret gave her in order for her to hide her identity as a faunus… and a former White Fang assassin.

_"Not everyone in the Schnee Dust Company is that cruel."_

Could Blake say the same about the White Fang? Just as Weiss was born and raised by the Schnee Dust Company, Blake was born and raised by members of the White Fang. Perhaps… perhaps Weiss will understand if she told the truth… Yet as Blake made to open her mouth, a voice from deep down whispered cruelly to her.

_**But the difference is that Weiss Schnee never killed members of the White Fang while you, you slaughtered many and it was not just limited to the SDC.**_

Blake froze before she slowly closed her mouth shut, lowering her head as well. Yes, her hands were still stained with blood. While perhaps other members of the White Fang deserved redemption due to simple misguidance, Blake deserved no such forgiveness. Blake looked back up at Weiss who continued to stare out the window, a look of grim determination set upon her face. Oh how Blake wished she could stand beside the heiress on such a feeling, but in reality, that was just not who she was.

"Ah I see you finally came out of the closet."

And just like that Blake was taken out of her broodings and shrieked in surprise as she hopped away from the source of the noise and onto another bed. Blake looked to the source to see that it was her blonde leader with a look of bewilderment on his face with his partner right beside him holding the same expression.

"Wow, I never thought I'd live to see the day that I'd surprise Blake Belladonna," said Jaune, "Then again since she's finally show her true colors I suppose anything is possible."

_True colors?_

Blake's eyes widened when she remembered the familiar feel of her bow in her hands… and not on her head. Oh. Blake could only feel a tad sheepish as she looked up at the two. Yet instead of looks of disappointment or hate the two held warm, welcoming smiles... something that Blake honestly should have expected from people like them. Blake looked back down at the bow with a rueful smile.

_Am I that distrusting of everyone?_

"Blake?"

Blake shook herself of her musings as she looked up towards Pyrrha who had a look of concern on her face. Blake stared at Pyrrha, a human, showing concern for her despite the fact that she was a faunus. The faunus girl couldn't help but smile as she closed her eyes.

_What was I expecting? _

Blake opened her eyes and smiled at her teammate… no… her friend.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought, I'm fine."

Pyrrha's eyes held some lingering concern, but instead of pressing it, the champion simply smiled back.

"Good, because there's something I've got to ask."

Blake almost yelped again when she spotted Jaune suddenly sitting right in front of her with a hand stroking his chin while his eyes narrowed mischievously.

"Do you _always_ make that noise whenever you get surprised?"

Blake looked at Jaune with an eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Jaune's grin grew as she asked.

"Oooh I think you know… Ms. 'Kya'."

Once again Blake felt blood rushing to her face at that.

"I didn't say that!"

Weiss decided to pitch in much to Blake's dismay.

"I do believe that she made that sound earlier when I was here."

"Weiss!"

"Hmm... now that you mention it that sound does seem like the one she made, I found it quite adorable."

"P-Pyrrha!"

"My, my I never knew our mystery girl was such so… how do they say it? Oh yes, moe~."

"S-shut up!"

Laughter filled the room and soon Blake joined them despite her embarrassment.

_Yes… these are my friends… and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world._

* * *

It was unfortunate that the fun had to end as the nurse ushered the team out so that Blake could have her rest promising to release her to classes the following day. Weiss felt relief when she saw the smile on Blake's face as they left she looked like she had a great burden lifted from her shoulders after revealing her faunus traits. It was also a bit humorous when it was revealed that most of the team already knew about the fact that Blake was a faunus in hiding and chose not to voice it. The look on Blake's face was absolutely priceless.

_I wish I took a picture on my scroll._

Weiss giggled softly to herself at the memories.

"Something up Weiss?" asked Jaune from beside her as they walked down the halls.

Weiss looked up towards her leader and in turn his partner beside him, both almost towering over the shorter heiress much to her chagrin.

"Nothing special, just good memories," said Weiss.

The blonde made a hum in response before her turned towards Pyrrha to continue his conversation with her. Weiss continued to look at Jaune and Pyrrha walking with one another, her thoughts slowly turning towards ABSN's fight with the Arcs. The beginning of the fight portrayed just how well the four members worked together even against powerful opponents despite the fact that the said opponents let arrogance weaken them. Team ABSN truly did look to be one of the strongest to ever set foot on Beacon in Weiss' opinion… that is until Blake took that blow for Pyrrha when the Arcs started to take things a bit more seriously. It was then that the true power of ABSN awoke, in the form of the A and N of ABSN.

Jaune… watching him fight with Julius was like attending one of those blasted "rock" concerts, with flashing lights being everywhere as the boy used his semblance in constant succession in order to disorient his opponent. Yet during the brief time Weiss managed to see Jaune not using his semblance, she saw him move with the grace of a professional dancer, each movement looking almost angelic. With each flash Jaune not only attacked with his sword, Crocea Mors, but also the bow that he had never used during his short time with ABSN until that fight, the bow known as Ira. While Jaune's fighting prowess with Crocea Mors was indeed impressive, when he took out Ira… it was like a whole knew man came forth. Jaune and Ira practically _**resonated**_with one another, true partners of the battlefield. Weiss had never seen a weapon sync with a huntsman's aura until she met Jaune, which made Weiss curious as to how he managed such a feat.

Then there was Pyrrha whom Weiss and most of the world knew to be an excellent fighter, showing such throughout the entire fight. It was both expected and impressive to watch Pyrrha fight on almost equal terms with the infamous Neopolitan. Their duel was likely one of the fiercest that Weiss had ever had the privilege of witnessing. Pyrrha's defense was near unmatched as she was able to parry and block any attack that Neo had made against her no matter what angle the older girl had approached from. Couple that with the way that Pyrrha was able to switch through different stances depending on which mode her weapon, Milo was in and it made Pyrrha's fighting style extremely versatile.

_**But that's not what you'll remember.**_

True. While Pyrrha and Jaune had very dynamic and exceptionally graceful ways of fighting, those were not what haunted Weiss' dreams when she fell asleep that night.

_"Don't give in to anger, but don't let it dissipate either. Manipulate it to your advantage instead, so that you can make them reap what they had sown, partner."_

Weiss remembered just how calm Jaune was when he said these words and yet each word carried a meaning and power she could not even fathom and sent chills down her spine. Yet, while Jaune's face was almost Blake level of stoic, his eyes were what chilled Weiss the most due to the fact that they were practically _**glowing**_in his fury. Then there was Jaune's partner.

_"Weiss, take care of Blake."_

Weiss felt herself shiver even as she remembered how Pyrrha practically growled out those words. She had always seen Pyrrha with that seemingly unbreakable smile despite all the pain the girl carried within her thus it was… disconcerting, for lack of a better term, to see Pyrrha in such a state of anger. Afterwards… afterwards the smile came back… but it was… twisted… practically sadistic in the way it was formed as the redhead fought Neo. Just like Jaune's eyes, Pyrrha's eyes also held a certain fury within them that ran just as deep, her eyes looking as if they could kill her if they stared deep enough into her soul.

"Hey Weiss, what's taking you?"

Weiss was startled out of her thoughts as she looked up to find Jaune and Pyrrha looking back at her, making her realize that she had been lagging behind due to being so engrossed in her thoughts. It was then for a brief moment, instead of the look of friendly concern and mirthful eyes of her teammates, Weiss saw two monsters with glowing eyes of fury, one completely expressionless while the other held a maniacal grin. Then, as quickly as the image appeared, Weiss willed it away, shaking her head of her thoughts so that she could focus on the world around her.

"Sorry, just a lot on my mind after that fight," said Weiss speaking only the half-truth.

Jaune's expression turned into a grimace.

"Yeah… a lot happened during that fight, eh?" he stated.

Pyrrha adorned a small frown as she remembered the fight as well. It was then that Jaune's smile came back full force.

"Well let's all look on the bright side, we won and now we're probably the most famous team ever to walk this campus!" he said with big grin.

There was a moment of silence before Jaune's happy expression slowly morphed into one of horror.

"Crap baskets."

Weiss shook her head at her leader's antics while Pyrrha let out a laugh.

"Don't worry Jaune I'm sure you'll get used to living under the limelight soon enough," she stated.

Jaune comically took a begging position before his partner.

"Pyrrha please teach me how to deal with this… this… 'popularity'!"

"Hmm… I think I'll let you tough it out on your own… it'll build character," said Pyrrha with a mischievous grin on her face.

Jaune took on a begging position as he clasped his hands together.

"Noooooo! Please oh please dear mistress why must thou be so cruel?!"

Weiss couldn't help but outright laugh at her teammates' antics. That's right, despite what she had seen during the battle with the Arcs that was just one part of Jaune and Pyrrha, albeit a terrifying one.

_Yet…_

Weiss watched as Pyrrha pulled Jaune up to a standing position looking a bit embarrassed at Jaune's position while Jaune simply laughed in her expense. It was almost as if they were in their own world.

_Or on a different level… and I'm being left behind._

Weiss' hand slowly curled into a fist at the thought. She had trained with her sister to make her mark as a huntress, to break away from the shadow of her father and the rest of the SDC. If she could get on the same level of fighting as these two…

_**But will you be able to? You've seen what happened to you and Blake when you tried to work at their level with their 'warm-up'.**_

Weiss' look hardened at the thought. Oh yes, Weiss _did_ remember it and she remembered it well.

_And I don't care._

A certain fire lit up within Weiss as she stared at her teammates exchanging friendly banter. Right now she was far below the level of Jaune, Pyrrha and Blake, all whom toiled and suffered through the trials of life both physically and mentally.

_So I'll make damn sure I am able to walk alongside them at the same level. I'm not one for being the damsel in distress after all._

"Weiss? You coming?" asked Jaune smiling back at her.

Pyrrha stood a little ahead of Jaune, her cheeks still a bit flushed from previous embarrassment, but she still looked back to smile at Weiss. Weiss smiled back, her eyes hardening in determination.

"Yes," she said, her words carrying a double meaning, "I am."

* * *

_Pyrrha stared in horror at the scene before her: Jaune and Weiss face down on the floor in pools of their own blood, Blake on her knees with a spear through her chest, standing over them is Julius Arc a savage grin on his face._

_ "__**You'll never be able to protect them."**_

_Pyrrha's eyes widened as Julius turned his head toward her, his grin becoming ever more maniacal._

_ "What?" he asked with a grin, "Are you going to do something about it?"_

_ It was then that Julius shifted and soon Pyrrha found that she was staring at herself, only this apparition had a twisted grin on her face._

_**"All you know how to do is cause harm," **__stated the apparition, __**"The 'Invincible Girl' can only defend herself and never others because she doesn't know how."**_

_Pyrrha fell to her knees and gripped her head, shaking it back and forth violently._

_ "That's not true!"_

_**"Is it not? Then why did you not defend Blake? Your oh so precious friend?"**_

_"I…" Pyrrha tried to speak, but she soon devolved into tears and sobs._

_**"No answer? Tsk, tsk, tsk, who knew you'd be such a weakling after all of this."**_

_ "Shut up."_

_**"Oh? What was that? Weakling?"**_

_"I'm not weak…"_

_**"I can't hear you… Weeeaaaaklllling!"**_

_"I…"_

"I'm not weak…"

Slowly, green eyes opened up to stare at a familiar beige ceiling. Pyrrha slowly sat up the bed sheets sliding down to her lap as she did so. Pyrrha looked around the dorm to see her team still asleep and upon checking the time she found that the clock read 4:00 am causing her to sigh.

"It's early… but…"

_**You'll never be able to protect them.**_

Pyrrha shook her head. After that nightmare she didn't want to go back to sleep. Pyrrha soon found herself getting up and simply walking out the dorm room door, opening it and closing it gently as to not wake up her team. Then Pyrrha picked a direction and just… walked. She had no idea where she was headed, but she just needed to walk, get her mind off of the nightmare she had. So Pyrrha walked around the darkened campus, the only source of light was the rows of lamps lighting up the pathways of Beacon's campus. Any natural source of light was absent during this time making it feel ominous… not that Pyrrha really cared. She simply continued to walk as she mulled over the nightmare… Images of the nightmare flashed around in her mind, but the image that struck her most was the one where she saw… herself smiling maniacally back at her.

_I wonder… was it that Pyrrha that everyone saw during my fight with Neopolitan?_

The haunting visage of her own grinning face stared at her in her mind's eye making her shiver. Pyrrha had no idea what monster she held within… and honestly she was terrified of the prospect.

"My, my, what do we have here?" stated a sultry voice from behind Pyrrha.

Pyrrha yelped in surprise and spun around to find that the source had come from a figure that was making their way down the main path towards Beacon. Everything about the figure was obscured thanks to a black satin cloak that wrapped around the figure and shadowed the face.

_I came out this far?!_

Suddenly Pyrrha felt on edge. Here she was, alone with no weapon with a mysterious cloaked stranger whose intentions were also unknown. The only thing Pyrrha had going for her is that she knew the figure was female given the voice.

"Who are you?" asked Pyrrha, trying to keep her voice from shaking the sound of her heartbeat ringing in her ears as she glared at the person in front of her.

A giggle sounded from the cloaked figure that sent shivers down Pyrrha's spine.

"I think the question we must ask here is why a young girl is out at this time of day with only her pajamas on."

Pyrrha blinked and looked down only to find that the figure was right. She wasn't even wearing shoes! Then again she meant to walk around the dorm, but since her mind was preoccupied, her body went on auto-pilot… and took her here. Pyrrha felt blood rushing to her face as embarrassment took hold.

_Gee great going oh foolish body of mine._

Pyrrha shook her head and glared at the stranger.

"D-Don't change the subject!" she growled, although the effect of the growl was negated due to her blushing face.

The figure seemed to notice this as another giggle sounded.

"Now, now there's no need for such hostilities, I'm here per your headmaster's request, and I've actually just arrived here via bullhead."

Pyrrha blinked and looked past he figure towards the landing pads and saw a lone bullhead sitting there.

"Now I'm sure you are wondering how I managed to get a bullhead at this time of night? Well… let's just say that I'm particularly… _persuasive_," continued the figure cryptically.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, sure the figure had an alibi, but the redhead didn't want to lower her guard. Whether or not the figure noticed this was uncertain as she walked towards one of the railings that lined the sides of the bridge they were on. The figure leaned on it looking Beacon Academy sighing.

"Aaah, Beacon Academy… it's been a long time since I've set foot here…"

Pyrrha's eyes widened a tad. This person was a Beacon alumni? But if she was an alumni why did the headmaster want to see her in particular? Where was her team? What was going on? Pyrrha looked back up towards the tower where Ozpin's office resided, questions swirling around in her mind before she realized her mistake and whipped her head back around towards the figure to make another demand for answers. As soon as she did the action, she found the figure right in front of her holding a slender finger to her lips.

_I didn't even sense her move!_

Pyrrha's eyes were as wide as saucers at this point, her heartbeat practically slamming against her ribcage.

"Shhh," whispered the mysterious woman gently, "You are in an unstable state of mind, take a moment to relax so you can think clearly."

The way the woman spoke had a certain effect on Pyrrha and soon she found herself slowly calming down. Taking the woman's advice, Pyrrha slowly took a deep breath.

_Inhale… Exhale…_

Soon built up anxiety melted away allowing Pyrrha to breath easier and her heartbeat to settle into its normal rhythm.

"I know it may not be any of my business, but I must inquire again why is a lovely young woman out here by herself at this time of morning?" asked the woman.

Pyrrha heard the question… and soon found herself wondering the same thing.

Why _was _she out here? At first Pyrrha had waved of as her simply allowing her legs to take her wherever they felt like, but now she wasn't so sure. Was it because she needed to air after the nightmare she had? Or perhaps was it because she wanted to get away from the people that she felt she had failed?

_**No, it wasn't any of those~.**_

"I… I don't know…" Pyrrha found herself uttering.

It was then that a feeling of helplessness took hold causing Pyrrha's shoulders to shake in frustration.

"I don't know…"

Pyrrha shut her eyes as she thought of her team, how she had let them down because of her weakness… her uselessness to her team. Each and everyone of them contributed towards the greatness and well-being of ABSN. Pyrrha? She only had the ability to fight with more savagery, her only perk being on the battlefield and when surrounded by skilled warriors, such a perk becomes obsolete. Pyrrha felt tears in her eyes and she shut them in order to prevent any of them from escaping only for one drop to make its way out and down her cheek. Suddenly she felt a warm hand cup it, wiping away the moisture from her eye in a gentle, comforting way.

"Frustration… it is an emotion one tends to get familiar with during their trials in a prestigious hunter school such as Beacon… or in life for that matter," whispered the stranger before Pyrrha.

Pyrrha didn't shrug off the hand… honestly she didn't care that it was from a complete stranger… she just needed comfort from somewhere. She was too confused and frustrated with herself to care and this stranger seemed to notice this.

"You will face many trials in your life, but you cannot allow them to break your fortitude."

It was then that the hand slid down under Pyrrha's chin and pushed it up so that and soon Pyrrha found herself staring into a pair of the most enchanting amber colored eyes she had ever seen.

"Instead of wallowing in your failures, learn from them, morph them into something that will help you grow stronger."

Pyrrha stared into those eyes… so sincere… with a slightly familiar glint within them that she couldn't place, not in her fragile state of mind. Images of her maniacal reflection crossed her mind.

"But how? I'm a failure as a teammate-," started Pyrrha trying to look away.

The hand holding her chin held her firmly in place.

"No," stated the stranger, her voice holding a commanding edge to it, "You are only a failure if you believe thus."

Pyrrha couldn't get herself to meet those eyes… as for a moment, instead of amber, she saw ocean blue. Yet the hand on her chin didn't let her escape.

"Look at me."

Pyrrha slowly looked back towards the hooded woman.

"Nobody is perfect, you will make mistakes, you will struggle," stated the woman, "But never forget that you have strengths as well, it is all about knowing how to best use them."

Finally, the woman let go of Pyrrha's chin and stepped back.

"And if you cannot figure this out on your own…" whispered the figure looking up at something behind Pyrrha.

Pyrrha wondered what the woman was looking at.

"Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha jumped in surprise and turned to see her team running toward her, all in a similar state of dress as she was.

"Guys? What are you doing here?" she asked, bewildered.

"That's our line," grumbled Weiss clearly not liking being awake at this time.

Blake stepped forward.

"They both snuck into the infirmary to see if you came to visit me and when they found you weren't there, we all went to search for you."

Pyrrha's eyes widened a fraction before she looked away.

"W-Why?" she whispered.

Suddenly a hand held her chin and forced her to look at a set of familiar blue eyes that stared back sternly.

"Because we're a _team_," Jaune emphasized sternly before he smiled gently, "Remember?"

Pyrrha's eyes widened at that. That's right… how could she forget? She had her team to lean on if all else failed… Despite her shortcomings, despite her failures, her team always had her back… no matter what. It was just like that that everything clicked for Pyrrha… and she allowed herself to cry and laugh at the same time. She then felt warm embrace of her leader who held her as the floodgates continued to grow wider. She also sensed the others joining in as well, making it a group hug with her at the center of it. Pyrrha felt secure, warm, happy, how could she have forgotten this? Pyrrha took a peak towards where the stranger should have been, only to find that she wasn't there anymore. Pyrrha simply smiled, having a feeling that they would meet again soon.

"Thank you…" she whispered to both the stranger and her teammates.

Pyrrha had teammates and she had her fighting strength, even if she couldn't help her teammates in other things, she would dedicate the one thing she was good at, fighting, to helping ABSN reaching great heights.

_This I swear._

* * *

The cloaked figure stood on top of the tower held Ozpin's office, looking down at the embracing teens below as the morning sun slowly started to rise over the horizon like a symbol of hope.

_This would have made a great painting… maybe I should take up painting again…_

Suddenly the sound of shattering glass interrupted the figure's thoughts, figure didn't turn, however knowing exactly who it was that was now next to her.

"My, my Neo, it has been quite a while, I heard your family had quite a scuffle here at Beacon?"

Neo waltzed up to her with a mischievous smile on her face as she held up her personal scroll, words displayed for the figure to read.

_[Nothing major per say, just me watching my arrogant siblings and my equally arrogant father get their asses handed to them by first years.]_

The figure chuckled before she looked at Neo.

"I still don't understand why you don't just talk, I mean I know you're not mute."

Neo shrugged, as her fingers worked like lightning on the keyboard.

_[I only talk when I feel like it and or if it's to someone important.]_

"And I'm not important?"

The Neapolitan-themed girl made a so-so gesture causing the cloaked figure to pout.

"Woe is me… my own good friend thinks so lowly of me."

Neo simply rolled her eyes in response, her fingers dancing on the scroll as she wrote her response.

_[At some points I wonder if Jaune's actually YOUR brother and not mine.]_

The figure giggled straightening up as she looked back down towards ABSN as they started to make their way back to the dorms.

"It is good to know that my pupil is doing well for himself… he certainly has a very caring partner… one that could possibly make a good wife for him…" stated the figure muttering the last part.

_Jaune… you have grown so much and you have an excellent team beside you. It will be interesting to see how much you have grown…_

"I wonder if he has already had sex?" the figure stated openly, pointedly ignoring the way Neo was glaring at her.


	16. Skeletons in the Closet

**Ch. 14: Skeletons in the Closet**

"C'mon now! You can do anything as long as you set your mind to it!"

The shout echoed across the early morning air of Beacon as the sun just started making its journey upwards over the horizon. Generally it was a peaceful morning for most living creatures in the area… well maybe except for one Weiss Schnee.

"Arc… I swear… to Monty… I will… burn you…" growled the Schnee heiress as she huffed along in yet another one of Jaune and Pyrrha's warm-ups.

Weiss had insisted on joining them ever since the fight with Jaune's family despite her disagreements with waking up early. The reason? Well Weiss refused to say, but Jaune had the feeling that the girl wanted to catch up in strength and prowess with him and Pyrrha despite the fact that both insisted that Weiss was already strong in her own right.

_Still, a healthy drive to become stronger is nothing to really be ashamed of… who am I to stop that?_

Jaune chuckled at the thought from where he sat as he watched the Schnee heiress finish her nineteenth lap.

"One more lap Schnee! Hop to it!"

Rasping was the only answer he received as the poor girl ran along.

"You think she'll make it this time?" asked Pyrrha who sat beside Jaune.

Jaune shrugged as he watched Weiss disappear around the campus buildings.

"I've been seeing some slow improvements from when she began running with us, so if she keeps at it, then she'll be able to finish these soon enough."

Pyrrha hummed in agreement before Jaune sensed her shifting beside him causing him to look over only to see her lying back to stare at the sky, looking like she was enjoying lying on the cool grass. This lasted for about ten seconds before she sighed.

"Something on your mind, Pyr?" asked Jaune with a smile as he looked towards the sky from his seated position.

"Nothing too major… just mentally preparing myself for another… delightful day in classes today…"

Jaune flinched at the subtly bitter tone in Pyrrha's voice, not that he really blamed her, this past week had been a bit stressful for all members of ABSN, even the one currently still in the infirmary. Ever since ABSN's fight against the Arcs, their fame had sky rocketed not only among the first years, but the second and third years as well. With that fame came _a lot_ of scrutiny from every member of the student body _and _the academy's staff. Jaune lost count of the times where he turned and caught several first year girls trying to spy on him only to hide immediately when he looked their way. Hell, he also lost count of the times he looked over his shoulder and caught guys trying to hide from being caught due to them trying to spy on Pyrrha or Weiss… and at times him. And it didn't stop with them, oh no, Blake also suffered from the attention as well even when confined to the infirmary. Jaune still recalled the team's most recent visit yesterday where they caught several students peaking into the infirmary windows with Blake fervently trying to ignore them by reading a book. Jaune wasn't sure if Blake saw it as a blessing or a curse that she was getting released today.

_If this is what celebrities have to deal with everyday then keep all that away from me thank you very much... although it's a little to late now... damn it._

Jaune couldn't help but take a hand and pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation. While the scrutiny did spread to all members of ABSN, extra attention was being placed upon Jaune and his already famous partner. Thanks to the fact that almost the entire school was there for the fight, Jaune and Pyrrha's stand against Neopolitan and his father was a scene that was engrained in many people's minds and was likely going to stay for months to come.

_This is going to be a long year…_

Jaune shook his head and looked back down at his partner as she continued to stare at the sky.

"Well look at the bright side, Pyr," said Jaune as he lay down beside her to stare up at the sky as well, the sky looking as clear as crystal as the sun slowly continued to give it its blue color as it rose, "At least we know that ABSN will be whole again this time around."

Pyrrha let out a soft snort at that.

"I doubt Blake will really appreciate the extra attention she'll receive once she's released," she said.

"True enough, but at least when she's out of the infirmary bed she can actually try and escape them being the slippery kitty that she is," Jaune countered.

"Key word being '_try_'."

Jaune and Pyrrha made noises of agreement at the same time as they fell back into silence to enjoy the new day for a while more… The silence continued on for several minutes before Jaune realized something…

_Wait… that wasn't Pyrrha's voice…_

Pyrrha seemed to come to the same realization as they stared at one another before rocketing up into sitting positions and looking behind them to see Blake Belladonna herself settled upon the grass with a book propped open with one hand while the other rested in the grass.

"Blake?!" they both shouted in surprise.

The cat faunus in question looked up at them with an unimpressed expression on her face before she turned her attention back to her book.

"Who else?" she retorted blandly.

"We thought you weren't going to be released until later today," said Pyrrha with a concerned look on her face.

Blake shrugged as she continued reading.

"I thought so too, but the nurse came in and said something along the lines of 'get out of my infirmary before your damn fans swarm it'," Blake answered.

Jaune let out a nervous laugh at that.

"It was that bad huh?" asked Jaune in sympathy.

Blake shook her head in exasperation.

"I figured I'd have some privacy from the public since I was injured, but I felt like I was being watched even when I was trying to fall asleep at night…" Blake sighed, "It was… a very stressful recuperation week for me and all the infirmary staff involved."

Jaune turned towards Pyrrha.

"Stupid question Pyrrha, was this what happened to you back at Mistral since you're supposed to be a big shot over there?"

Pyrrha slowly turned her head to look at Jaune, her expression completely unreadable and yet her signature smile was firmly in place. She stared. And stared. _And stared._ Jaune saw Blake slowly start to inch away from the corner of his eye. Jaune himself felt himself becoming a bit unnerved by Pyrrha's stare.

"Again Pyrrha, stupid question feel free to ignore it."

Suddenly Pyrrha's smile turned more genuine it became easier to breath in an instant as she turned to Blake.

"It's good to know that you're feeling better Blake," Pyrrha chirped happily.

_She's just going to ignore the entire thing?!_

Jaune stared at Pyrrha in disbelief before he shook his head with a chuckle. His partner was certainly an enigma that was for damn sure, one that he eventually wanted to address, but at this moment in time was simply content with enjoying the moment listening as said partner continued to happily chat with ABSN's resident faunus.

_…Or interrogate may be a better word for it._

It was then that Jaune heard heavy panting behind him and turned to see Weiss standing before them looking extremely exhausted, but also accomplished from the triumphant look on her eyes. Jaune looked at Weiss with a proud smile.

"Color me impressed Weiss, we didn't think you'd make it this tine around either," he joked.

Weiss didn't answer, simply content with gasping for air while glaring balefully at Jaune.

"Well then, now that you're able to do the twenty laps, you'll be able to join us for our afternoon workout, where we'll _really _get started," stated Pyrrha, her happy smile still on her face.

Jaune simply held a smirk on his face as he watched Weiss turn pale, well, paler than usual.

_Well, she knew what she signed up for when she decided to work out with us. Can't be having any slacking. Ah what a wonderful morning this turned out to be._

"Guys? I don't think Weiss is breathing anymore," muttered Blake.

As if to prove Blake's point, Weiss fell face first into the grass in front of the rest of the team.

"Weiss!" exclaimed Jaune and Pyrrha together as they promptly made to aid the fallen heiress while Blake simply shook her head and continued to read.

Although if Jaune were more attentive, he would have noticed how tightly the faunus girl gripped her book.

* * *

Blake slipped into the ABSN dorm and slammed the door closed; her back pressed against the wood while her eyes frantically scanned the room. When she deemed it safe she allowed herself to relax. She then tiredly made her way to her bed and promptly collapsed onto it. If it wasn't already obvious Blake had a rather… _eventful _first day back in classes. It started with her first class with her team, Port's class where he had just brought in a freshly caught a beowolf for a student to fight against. Instead of choosing Jaune or Pyrrha, however, Port decided to choose _Blake_ to fight the beowolf for reasons she just couldn't fathom. While the fight itself wasn't hard, the attention she got from the general public made itself known in the form of enthusiastic cheers. For the rest of the day Blake had to deal with all the first years constantly trying to converse with her or simply watching her from afar and for a girl who had lived most of her life in the shadows this was a completely unwelcome and unwanted turn of events. Thus the ex-assassin spent most of the day trying to hide from all the unwanted attention, explaining her current prone position on her bed.

_You would think that a school full of budding protectors of the world would be less inclined to flock towards gossip and fame… I've lost all hope for this generation, Remnant is doomed._

Blake let out a noise of exasperation as she rolled onto her back and stared at the beige ceiling. Yet she had to look on the bright side for once, things could have been a lot worse if it weren't for Jaune and Pyrrha who took some of the flak for her. Pyrrha due to the fact that she was already used to it and Jaune because… well… he's Jaune, too selfless for his own good. Weiss would have offered, but due to her harsh 'warm-up' session the heiress barely made it through lessons without falling asleep although she _did_ seem to be handling it a bit better than last time.

Blake smiled.

She was filled in by Jaune about Weiss' drive to become stronger and Weiss' wish for Jaune and Pyrrha to let her join them on morning runs a well as their normal training regiment. He offered for Blake to join, but she respectfully declined wishing to live through all three years at Beacon Academy. Still it was pretty impressive to see the normally slightly uptight girl putting an almost zealous effort into becoming stronger. Blake still recalled an earlier conversation with Weiss during lunch as the heiress practically inhaled her food. Blake questioned why Weiss was putting herself through all this especially knowing just how harsh Jaune and Pyrrha's training session was. Weiss only had this to say:

_"I need to become stronger. I can't be left behind. I want to be able to stand beside them."_

While the answer was vague, Blake found that she understood the heiress' reasons and whom she was talking about.

Jaune Arc.

Pyrrha Nikos.

Those were two names that were whispered all throughout the school in both praise… and fear. Blake picked up many different conversations as she snuck around the halls in order to evade any unwanted attention from "fans". When the subject of Jaune or Pyrrha came up, the conversation would become louder in volume due to the enthusiasm for the subject matter. Pyrrha was of course an old favorite due to the fame from her exploits at Mistral, it was actually _expected _for her to have such a fighting prowess and Jaune… Jaune was intriguing due to the fact that he seemed to come out of nowhere. Blake could almost guarantee that only a quarter of the student body knew who the Arc family actually was before ABSN's fight with Jaune's 'family'.

_Family never turns their back to another member, nor should they ever leave them behind._

_**Look who's talking, Ex-White Fang member Blake Bellodonna.**_

Blake's eyes widened before she shakily reached for the top of her head towards her bow, which was still nestled upon her head. The only thing she had left of Margaret as well as a reminder to all of her deeds as a White Fang assassin. Blake shook her head at that.

_Why am I thinking so hard about this? It never really bothered all that much before..._

No. That was a lie. It bothered her more than she could ever believe, but it was tolerable mostly thanks to Weiss' rather doting nature, being more than happy to be a shoulder to cry on or to simply listen to what Blake had to say. Every day Weiss Schnee would break further away from what the Schnee family was painted as by White Fang proving herself to be a stern but selfless person.

_"Not everyone in the Schnee Dust Company is that cruel."_

Blake bit her bottom lip as memories of their conversation in the infirmary crept back to the forefront of her mind. The haunting image of the white-haired girl standing by the window, her hair shadowing her face as she declared her goal to reshape how the world saw the Schnee name, that look of icy determination. Blake felt like a shadow compared to her, an insignificant speck in the background. If a girl like this felt like she was falling behind… where did that leave Blake? Blake shook her head again, snapping herself out of her depressed state only to find herself in a fetal position laying on her side her hands gripping the sheets like it was her lifeline. Blake sighed as she sat up.

_Perhaps sitting on the roof will help clear my mind._

With that in mind, Blake got up from her bed and made her way to exit the dorm room, slipping out the door and closing it behind her before heaving a sigh. She then opened her eyes… and her breath caught at her throat.

"Um… hi?" said Ruby who seemed to be exiting her own dorm room.

The other girl looked just as surprised as Blake, her bright silver eyes widened all while frozen in a rather comical walking position like a deer caught in headlights. It was Blake who recovered first, shaking herself from her shock and taking on a neutral expression.

"Hi," she stated evenly.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them before Blake made to leave already feeling a headache coming on. Her movement seemed to spur the young leader into action.

"Wait!" cried the girl.

Blake let out a labored sigh as she stopped.

"What is it?" she asked.

"W-Well I uh… well the thing is…" Ruby said, fumbling with her words.

Blake was really starting to feel that headache.

"Spit it out, Rose, I'm not in the mood," grumbled Blake.

The younger girl seemed to shrink back a bit at Blake's harsh words, not that Blake really cared at the moment, she was too physically and emotionally exhausted to think straight.

"I just wanted to know if you're feeling alright… you know… after you took the brunt of that shield charge."

Blake stared at Ruby for a long while not really expecting concern from somebody outside of ABSN and the leader of RRNY no less, the team that ABSN had chosen to completely shut out.

_Hell, I was even preparing to literally kill one of her teammates._

"I'm… fine, thank you for asking," said Blake in her monotone voice.

Another awkward silence followed the remark before Blake made to turn around and walk away once again, not knowing what to say.

"Um!"

Blake stopped again, really feeling her temper flaring.

"What?!" she growled through gritted teeth.

Ruby reeled back a bit at Blake's words, looking like a wounded puppy for a bit, looking hesitant to speak. The girl opened and closed her mouth a few times before she took a deep breath, seeming to focus her mind. The girl opened her eyes again, her silver orbs seemed to bore straight into Blake's soul, catching the faunus girl off-guard.

"Why did you do it?"

The sudden change in Ruby's demeanor threw Blake so off-balance that it took her a while to regain her bearings to give an answer.

"Do what exactly?" asked Blake.

Ruby looked down towards the floor.

"Jump in the way of that shield bash?"

Blake blinked and opened her mouth to answer only to stop when she came to a realization.

_I don't know._

Her logical side told her that she did so to prevent any injury to Pyrrha due to the fact that the redhead was vulnerable to the strike. Her emotional side told her that it was due to its similarity to an event long ago that still to this day chills her to the core. Yet neither explanation seemed right. Then what was it? Both were good answers and yet Blake looked into those silver eyes and found herself hesitating. Would she be able to tell such a lie to such honest and soul-piercing eyes? It felt as if Monty himself had descended from the heavens in order to judge the tainted soul before him. Perhaps it was her tired mind, or perhaps it was because she was in desperate need for an outlet, but Blake felt her mouth moving before her thoughts could even catch up.

"I did it because it was the least I deserved for what I've done."

_What?_

Blake finally managed to reel in her thoughts and stop her flapping gums, but by then it was already too late, she had gone and said it a truth she had refused to acknowledge. Blake grit her teeth and looked down towards the floor. So that was it huh? Honorable suicide. Blake almost laughed right then and there.

_**How pathetic. You haven't turned into a masochist have you?**_

Blake simply continued to stare at the floor as she thought of her past mistakes, her regrets, her sins. A person like her didn't deserve forgiveness and was very likely going to rot in whatever netherworld that her spirit would be damned to once she died.

"I don't think that's it though."

Blake's eyes widened as she looked back up a Ruby who put on a thoughtful expression, still staring into Blake's eyes. It was then that a soft smile graced Ruby's features.

"I think… I think it might have been something else."

Blake narrowed her eyes at Ruby.

"What are you talking about?"

The silver-eyed girl's smiled didn't waver.

"Now, now, that would be telling wouldn't it?"

Honestly at this point it was getting a bit creepy how… old Ruby sounded as she spoke. It _certainly_ didn't feel like she was speaking to a girl two years her junior. Ruby meanwhile simply kept smiling before walking past Blake. When Blake saw that Ruby had no intention of answering Blake's question the faunus felt her temper flare again making to grab the younger girl's shoulder-.

"And Blake?"

Blake froze, her hand outstretched as Ruby stopped after she spoke.

"Whatever you did in the past, I'm sure whatever it is your team will forgive you."

With that Ruby continued to walk away leaving Blake to stare after her.

_Forgive?_

Could it really be that easy? The sins that she had committed, the atrocities that she was a part of, the horrors she had wrought on others, all of this, simply forgiven? Perhaps maybe not the general public but… maybe her team? Blake thought of Jaune and seemingly endless amount of patience and wisdom despite his goofy exterior. Blake thought of Pyrrha and her supportive nature despite her infallible guise of invincibility. And then finally Blake thought of Weiss.

_"So long as you know that your team is here for you then take all the time you need."_

Blake closed her eyes.

_Maybe there is a chance… maybe… I should tell them._

Blake allowed a small smile to appear on her face as she continued to watch Ruby make her way down the hall.

_Ruby Rose… eh?_

"Aw poopybutts! I forgot my books!"

Blake promptly face faulted.

* * *

This week had been a living hell for Weiss, one that she willingly put upon herself all in the name of getting stronger. The first day went as expected for both parties, Jaune and Pyrrha woke up early only for Weiss to struggle to get up causing them to have less time to do their laps. Needless to say both Jaune and Pyrrha still managed to finish their warm-up with a slightly faster pace while Weiss only managed to pull off twelve laps before Jaune forced her stop so that they weren't late to class. The second day wasn't so different from the first only difference being a single lap more. The third and fourth days showed a bit more improvement in laps as well, but on the fifth day Weiss' lap number actually went down due to her body rebelling against her and refusing to budge for a while. So angered by this was Weiss that by the sixth day she went and reached nineteen laps almost the full twenty, but she collapsed from exhaustion halfway through the last lap causing Jaune and Pyrrha to force her to stop. But Weiss finally did it, she had made the full twenty laps on the seventh day… and now she was joining Jaune and Pyrrha for the real training.

Right now they were in the middle of yet another circuit around Beacon's campus only this time they were carrying their weapons. Naturally Weiss' load was easiest since she only had Myrtenaster, but even then Weiss never got to really feel just how cumbersome her weapon was as tapped onto her leg with each step she took as she ran. The only problem for her was the fact that she was still feeling the fatigue from her morning's run thus making the run all the more difficult. It only made it worse for Weiss mentally to see Jaune and Pyrrha only faintly winded as they ran with their own arsenal of weapons along with weights tied to their limbs and torsos. Weiss didn't have the time or luxury to think on this however as along with the change in workout intensity, Jaune and Pyrrha also seemed to change personalities during this particular workout.

"C'mon Weiss keep going! Don't stop! You better not be slacking either, Nikos! You think the Grimm are going to give you a break?!" growled Jaune

"Right back at you Arc! I better not see you slow down or I'll kick your ass!" Pyrrha roared back.

Weiss let out a shutter as she watched the two lap her for the third time that session. The three were to do fifteen laps around Beacon like this before doing a bit of sparring at the end. Jaune had explained it was to build awareness and to control energy exertion so that if they ever find themselves in a tough situation they will be able to handle it with a level head and enough energy to spare. This only one of the many workouts of the training after classes finished, a regimen that warrior duo of ABSN underwent everyday and took _extremely _seriously. While they were more than happy to welcome Weiss to train with them, they had no intention of holding her hand the whole way leaving her to catch up on her own pace.

_I'm on my… tenth lap now right? Or was it my eleventh?_

Weiss grit her teeth, she was really starting to lose focus.

_Pull it together! I need to be able to get through at least this first part of the training!_

Weiss continued to run as her grip on Myrtenaster grew tighter trying to keep it still so that it didn't restrict the movement of her legs. It was then that she heard the footsteps of Jaune and Pyrrha again causing her eyes to widen.

_They're going to lap me again?! So soon? _

Weiss glared as she pumped legs trying to go faster.

_No! I can't allow that to happen, not again!_

But as she pushed, her body pushed back, her lungs feeling like they were breathing in liquid fire and her legs feeling as heavy as lead with each step. Weiss kept pushing however determined to not let her teammates lap her again.

_Just keep pushing! Keep pushing! You useless body!_

Weiss didn't know if it was the trick of her eyes, but it was like she wasn't going anywhere, like Weiss was running on a treadmill, but she kept pushing, her hope and determination pushing her body beyond the limits of-.

"What's wrong Nikos? I thought you were better than this!"

"Hah! Are you sure you wanna keep talking, Arc?"

Weiss' eyes widened as she watched Jaune and Pyrrha easily sweep past her still looking like they weren't even winded as they charged forth.

_No…_

Suddenly Weiss' legs give from under her causing her to tumble to the ground. After rolling for a while before she finally came to a stop.

"Ow…" she whimpered, her face in the dirt.

"Weiss! Are you okay?!"

Weiss slowly turned her head so that she could look up and she saw both Jaune and Pyrrha standing over her with concerned looks on their faces.

"I'm fine… I should be able to keep going…" muttered Weiss as she tried to move her limbs only to find they she couldn't.

Jaune gave her a stern look.

"Weiss, while I love your enthusiasm to get stronger, sometimes you gotta learn when to stop so that you can try again another day," he said, "Relax for today, you did great, you can try again tomorrow."

Weiss knew she was in no position to argue as the two helped Weiss sit under a nearby tree before they continued on with their training leaving Weiss to bask under the shade as she waited for her limbs to work again.

_Really… what did I expect would happen?_

Weiss chuckled at her own stupidity and pride.

_Knowing my limits? That should be something I have engrained into my memory… in fact I knew that I had exceeded my limit a while ago._

Weiss shook her head as she watched her teammates disappear around the buildings. Before this she would probably have stopped at her limit and reserved her energy so that she wouldn't dirty her image and preserve her dignity as a Schnee. She didn't know what caused to her try and do something that was currently impossible to do with the lack of stamina training.

_I blame you for this Jaune, Pyrrha._

Weiss sighed as she let her head fall back against the trunk of the tree she was sitting near.

"Seems like you guys are having fun."

Weiss slowly opened her eyes and looked over towards the source of the noise to see a pair of legs next to her. Weiss' eyes followed the legs up the body to a familiar face smirking down at her with piercing yellow eyes.

"Hey Blake," greeted Weiss tiredly.

Blake settled down next to Weiss, looking out towards Vale.

"So how did it end up like this?" asked Blake.

Weiss let out a sigh.

"Let's say that I discovered another extremely stupid part of me and leave it at that," she said.

"Oh? And pray tell what makes this new side so stupid?"

Weiss gave Blake a half-lidded glare.

"For some reason I came under a false notion that if I just kept pushing forward I would be able to keep pace with Jaune and Pyrrha, well, you can see how that turned out," said Weiss gesturing to herself, "Really, those two are monsters when it comes to feats of..."

Suddenly Weiss stopped when she caught Blake flinching involuntarily at the word 'monster'. The faunus girl seemed to subconsciously reach for the bow that was once again nestled upon her head. Weiss stared at Blake for a long while, but chose not to say anything to the faunus girl as she closed her eyes. Blake would open up when she was ready to, until then Weiss would be waiting to hear it just as she promised.

"Hey… Weiss."

"Hmm?" answered Weiss, her eyes still closed.

There was silence for a long while causing Weiss to open her eyes and look over at Blake only to be caught by surprise as the usually stoic, level-headed girl of ABSN looked nervous and scared. Blake seemed to at war with herself about something although Weiss couldn't really fathom what. Blake opened her mouth and the closed, thinking hard about whatever she wanted to say before trying again.

"What…" Blake stopped, her lips closing again and forming a thin line.

Weiss studied Blake's eyes, which were wide open and looking at anything but the heiress.

_This can't be about her status as a faunus right? I thought we had thoroughly reassured her that we didn't mind it._

Weiss pushed those thoughts aside as Blake made to speak again, mustering up enough courage.

"W-what do you think about…"

_About?_

"What do you… think about…"

_Yes?_

"Well what I'm trying to say is…"

_Yeeees?"_

"That is…"

_Oh for crying out loud!_

"Blake," stated Weiss sternly, "Look at me."

Blake's eyes seemed to widen a bit more as she moved to do the exact opposite of what Weiss wanted. Weiss' eyes narrowed as she reached up and grabbed Blake's chin and forced her to look at her despite her arm's protests. The cat faunus seemed determined not to look at her, glancing to the side, away from Weiss, something that only served to irritate the Schnee heiress.

"Look. At. Me," said Weiss firmly.

Slowly Blake's pupils turned to meet Weiss' own, vibrating in a fear and uncertainty that Weiss was all too familiar with. Weiss and Blake's conversation on the rooftop came to her mind as she looked at Blake.

"Now, collect your thoughts and tell what is plaguing your mind right now."

Blake simply stayed silent, staring at Weiss almost frozen in fear. Weiss stared back for a long while before she finally let go of Blake's chin.

"Blake, I can tell whatever it is that you want to say is eating away at you," said Weiss, "If you are still not ready to tell me, that's fine, but don't keep it bottled up forever."

Blake looked down at the ground looking akin to a child be admonished by their parent. Weiss couldn't help but feel ten years older than she actually was due to this… something that she honestly didn't mind _too _much.

"Oh hey Blake! It's nice to see you here!" exclaimed Jaune.

Weiss looked over to see the two jogging over to them. They looked slightly winded, along with the telltale signs of sweat starting to creep onto their collars.

"I thought you were going to stay in the room today Blake," exclaimed Pyrrha.

Blake simply stayed silent, looking down at the grass. Weiss started to feel worried and she knew the sentiment was shared by her two teammates.

"Blake? Is there something-," started Pyrrha.

"Um!" said Blake suddenly speaking.

Blake paused a bit and for a moment Weiss thought Blake's insecurities would render her silent once again, but she was proven wrong when Blake's expression transformed into one of determination as she looked towards her team.

"I-I wanted to talk to you all about something important."

This got Weiss' attention in an instant as she looked at Blake with her undivided attention.

"We're all ears Blake," said Jaune speaking for everyone donning a serious expression.

Blake nodded as she got up and fully faced her teammates.

"Do you guys…" started Blake only for her to start to falter again.

Blake's lips quavered a bit, but she shook her head a tried again.

"Do you… what do- I mean…"

Honestly, while Weiss understood being nervous, what was making Blake _this_ nervous to tell her friends about? Blake herself seemed a bit frustrated if the flush on her cheeks was any indication. Suddenly the girl took a deep breath her hands gripped into tight fists as she prepared to just let it out.

"Would you like to come to Vale with me?!"

There was silence for a moment as Weiss stared at Blake from where she sat. She briefly looked over to see Jaune and Pyrrha's reactions only to see them looking at the faunus girl with wide-surprised eyes. Blake herself also looked a bit surprised, her mouth still in the position that let out her last syllable. Blake then turned towards the tree and slammed her head against it.

_Apparently that wasn't what she meant to say._

"Sure!"

Weiss blinked before she spun to look at Jaune who had spoken with a wide smile on his face.

"It's been a while since we've had a team outing, and a trip to Vale sounds like a fine idea. What do ya say Pyr?"

"Yes! That sounds grand!" answered Pyrrha with enthusiasm.

_What on Remnant… what are you two doing?!_

Weiss looked towards Jaune as he turned toward her with a mighty grin.

"How about you Weiss?"

Weiss stared at her leader. While his mouth was smiling and seemingly carefree, his eyes held something different. 'Just go with it' they seemed to say. Weiss reluctantly obliged with a silent nod.

"Great!" said Jaune turning back towards Blake, "Then let's freshen up before we go, sound good Blake?"

Weiss looked over at Blake who simply hid her face in her hands making a sound akin to a whine.

_What is going on with you Blake?_

* * *

When Pyrrha stepped off the dust ship she couldn't help but marvel at the difference in architecture between Vale and Mistral. The look, the community, and even the general atmosphere were different and it was just how the humble champion liked it. Pyrrha would have liked nothing more than to explore the sights of the great city with her team, but something, or rather someone, took top priority. Pyrrha's eyes made their way over to a certain cat faunus who stood next to ABSN's leader with a glum expression on her normally stoic face. From what Pyrrha and apparently the rest of the team could tell, Blake had a big secret that she clearly wanted to tell the team, but couldn't seem to voice it. Pyrrha could only look to the girl with sympathy, it must be hard on the girl to try sharing her deepest darkest secrets… not that Pyrrha could really say anything as she held a couple secrets herself.

"So Blake, anywhere you feel like going?"

Pyrrha was drawn out of her thoughts as the words of her leader reached her ears. Pyrrha looked towards Jaune who was smiling at Blake with that cheerful smile of his that could light up the world. Blake in the meantime fidgeted a bit at Jaune's smile as her eyes looked anywhere but him.

"W-Well I uh…" she began.

Pyrrha watched the flustered girl struggle to find words and could only wonder what secret was so great that it could cause the ever-stoic Blake Belladonna to completely lose her edge.

"There was this coffee shop that I always wanted to try," suggest Weiss, "We can go there if everyone's up for it."

Blake seemed relieved that the decision was taken from her hands as she eagerly nodded at Weiss' suggestion although choosing not to say anything verbally. It was almost as if the poor girl didn't trust herself to speak. Pyrrha frowned not used to seeing Blake look so vulnerable before…

_Actually no… I have._

Pyrrha's thoughts went to the battle against the Arc family a week ago, to the specific point when she saw Blake's broken form after Blake had protected Pyrrha from Julius' devastating shield charge. Pyrrha quickly shook her head before her thoughts became dark.

_Enough, we came to help Blake._

"Well then, let's get going," said Jaune, "Lead the way Weiss!"

Weiss nodded as she turned and made her way out of the air dock with everyone else following behind. Pyrrha took this time to study the faunus girl's demeanor as they walked. It seemed that Blake was slowly regaining control of her emotions as her stoic mask was back in place. The only sign that told Pyrrha what was actually happening was the fact Blake's hands twitched every so often as if itching to do something. She also noticed how Blake's bow shifted every so often as they walked.

_Really… how did Blake expect anybody _not_ to notice that?_

Then again to Blake's credit, most strangers wouldn't have really taken notice of such a detail nor would most have cared.

_I guess it's because we know her a bit better than anybody else._

Pyrrha found herself staring at the black fabric nestled atop Blake's head, something still bothering her about it.

_Why is it that she still wears the bow? It's one thing when it's out here, but she still wears it around us when we're alone in the dorm…_

Pyrrha had noticed this the second time that ABSN had visited Blake in the infirmary. When the team walked in, the noticed Blake had put on her bow once again, when Jaune inquired about it, Blake simply waved it off as a habit. For some reason Pyrrha felt as if Blake wasn't being fully honest, but she and the rest of the team didn't voice anything, accepting it as Blake's decision and moving on to share their day with Blake for the rest of the visit.

_Regardless… it would be nice if Blake took her bow off more often…_

"So what's this coffee place called?" asked Jaune interrupting Pyrrha's thoughts again.

"I think it as called the 'Beige Cafe' or something to that effect," answered Weiss in a thoughtful tone.

Jaune cocked his head in thought.

"Beige Cafe, eh? Interesting name."

"It's a bit on the subtler side isn't it?" asked Pyrrha.

Blake muttered something under her breath so quietly that most wouldn't have heard, but Pyrrha caught it and Pyrrha couldn't help but stare at Blake.

"Did you say something Blake?" asked Jaune as he seemed to have heard it as well.

Blake immediately stood straight up and shook her head violently.

"N-nothing!" Blake said quickly

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at the quick, almost panicked answer.

_Now I'm really starting get curious about what you're hiding Belladonna._

Jaune however still seemed willing to wait as he simply shrugged with one shoulder and continued walking. Pyrrha could only stare at her leader in both admiration and exasperation. Admiration due to the fact that her leader was simply exuding yet another one of his more positive traits that always came out stronger when they were towards the members of ABSN. Exasperation due to the fact that her leader may be a bit too patient with their resident faunus. Pyrrha looked towards Weiss to find that the heiress had a worried frown on her face as she stared at her partner. Then again Weiss usually always had that look on her face for everybody on team.

_It's actually like a family…_

Jaune was the free-spirited and patient father; Weiss was the stern, but doting mother; leaving Blake and Pyrrha as the daughters. Pyrrha looked towards the rest of her team and for a moment she saw an older man with blonde hair and an older woman with long white hair along with a little girl with black hair and two little cat ears in between them. Pyrrha almost snorted in laughter at the image, but managed to keep it down.

"So how much farther to this place?" asked Jaune.

"Not much farther, it's just around this bend-," said Weiss before she was cut off by Blake's cry of surprise.

Apparently some else was rounding the bed in the opposite direction, running right into Blake who was sent tumbling backward, but was fortunately caught by Jaune. Pyrrha immediately ran forward to see of Blake was alright.

"You okay there Blake?" asked Jaune.

Blake nodded causing relief to spread around Pyrrha before she looked to the person that Blake crashed into. There were two individuals standing there, one male and one female, both were faunus judging from the fox ears on their heads, they were most likely siblings. Pyrrha didn't like the way they were staring at Blake, however.

"Blake?" asked the boy, "As in Blake Belladonna?"

Pyrrha blinked.

_How do they know Blake?_

Pyrrha looked towards Blake to see her reaction, only for a chill to run down her spine when she saw her friend's expression. Blake's eyes were wide with fear.

"My, my."

Pyrrha's eyes flicked back to the fox faunus siblings, seeing that it was the girl who spoke this time, an eerie smile on her face.

"It has certainly been a while, Neko-chan."


	17. Ghosts of the Past

**Ch. 15: Ghosts of the Past**

Jaune took a better look at the two fox-faunai in front of his team.

The brother had jet black hair that was long enough to reach the back of his neck with a few stubborn strands hanging over the front of his face obscuring his left eye. His clothes also seemed to be black themed with a black leather jacket, a red t-shirt under it, black sweat pants and grey sneakers. The brother also had a silver chain that ran across his waist like a loose belt finishing off the fox-faunus' very… punkish look.

The sister on the other hand sported long white hair that reached the small of her back, combed down straight, but with a few strands obscuring her right eye. The girl's clothes consisted of a white jacket over a white t-shirt that was tucked into a pair of blue jeans with a pair of white leather boots.

Both siblings held very similar piercing pale green eyes that were currently focused on nothing but Blake, something that Jaune was starting to find rather unnerving. He hadn't bothered to look at Blake's reaction to this, only knowing that something about these two was… off and he did not want to lose sight of either sibling for even a second. Plus, he could pretty much guess from Blake's heavy breathing and her silence to the sister's words that that these two were not old friends.

"What's the matter Neko-chan?" asked the sister her smile growing wider, almost predatory, "Aren't you glad to see us?"

Jaune looked toward Blake from the corner of his eye and upon seeing his teammate in a state of shock and fear he immediately turned back towards the two fox faunai with a slight glare.

"Who are you?" asked Jaune stepping in front of Blake protectively.

The action finally caused the two siblings to look at Jaune, the brother with a look of disdain while the sister simply kept her sickeningly sweet smile.

"Ah yes, where are my manners?" said the sister, her voice like silk yet somehow all the more alarming.

The sister then spoke in a language that Jaune never heard before.

"Hajimemashite. Namae wa Yorukenji Shiro des," said the girl before motioning towards her brother, "Kore wa watashi no ototodesu."

"Yorukenji Kuro," stated the brother with a small wave, his expression unchanged, "Domo."

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," finished the sister bowing by her waist.

Jaune narrowed his eyes unfamiliar with the language that they had spoken, but he could guess some details.

"I'm going to guess that was some sort of greeting?" said Jaune, not lowering his guard; "If so it's pretty rude to introduce yourself in a language that is clearly foreign to those you are speaking to."

The sister giggled at Jaune, her laughter sending shivers down Jaune's spine as he felt himself become more on edge.

"You're quite the firebrand, aren't you?" asked the faunus girl stalking up towards Jaune, "I have to say… I always had a thing for roguish men."

The faunus just in front of Jaune, her breath tickling his face as she stared seductively into his eyes. Jaune leaned back a bit from her, but kept his stance, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You still haven't properly introduced yourself," stated Jaune.

Another giggle sounded as the faunus leaned even closer.

"Oooh I like you," she stated, "You can call me Shiro, Jaune Arc-san."

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"How did you know my name?"

'Shiro' never moved from her position, her smile staying as it was.

"There are whispers all over Vale of a falling out between the Arc family and their only son," she stated running a finger down Jaune's chest, "Jaune Arc… leader of the strongest first-year team of Beacon, perhaps the strongest in all of Beacon…"

Shiro's finger slowly trailed to where Crocea Mors would usually be resting.

"Wielder of the legendary Crocea Mors like so many of the great Arc heroes of the past…"

Shiro leaned in until her mouth was right next to Jaune's ear.

"We know _all_ about you~," she finished.

Jaune's eyes narrowed even more.

"If you do know all about me then you should also know that I don't take hostilities towards my team lightly."

Shiro giggled again as she finally backed away allowing Jaune to be able to breath a little easier.

"Oh, we know this and such a trait is admirable… even if it is directed in the wrong direction…" she stated.

It was then that Pyrrha walked up beside Jaune, her expression holding a very visible frown, like Jaune she looked ready for battle.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" asked Pyrrha.

Shiro's pale green eyes trailed over towards Jaune's partner, her smile growing even wider.

"Ah yes… the legendary Pyrrha Nikos, four-time Mistral Cup Champion, hailed as the 'Invincible Girl' and 'Goddess of Victory' by all of Mistral."

Jaune saw Pyrrha's fists clench at hearing those titles even as Jaune felt his own anger starting to rise. Shiro pretended not to notice as she continued on looking back towards Jaune as she spoke.

"You two have quite a reputation in Vale as well… especially after your fight with the Arcs… the 'Indomitable Pair', the 'Monsters of Beacon'… the list goes on and on," stated Shiro.

Jaune wanted to groan despite the situation.

_Did Ozpin really have to make the match _that_ public?_

Then again with a fight such as ABSN's fight with the entire Arc family was there anyway to stop the rumor mill from spreading all over Vale? Jaune stayed silent as Shiro continued to shower her empty praises to him and Pyrrha.

"I must say the display that you two put on must have been spectacular, of course I could only say through speculation, never being there myself," said Shiro before she let out a woeful sigh, "But it is a real shame…"

Jaune lifted a brow,

"A shame?" he couldn't help but ask.

Shiro looked towards Jaune with rather genuinely sorrowful eyes,

"A shame that you two have to be held back by such heavy burdens…"

Jaune watched as Shiro's eyes ventured to look at the people behind him causing his anger to spike, but he managed to keep himself calm.

"Burdens I may have, but my team always has my back no matter what, I would never think lower of any of them," Jaune stated proudly.

Shiro cocked her head, her smile still in place.

"I wouldn't be so sure… well, perhaps even a Schnee can be redeemable I suppose…" Shiro stated looking towards Weiss for a brief moment.

Shiro's eyes then trailed back to where Blake was still sitting.

"This one however… you may want to watch your back with."

Jaune was _really_ starting hate this girl, and her brother staring balefully at them was not helping matters.

"I think you should be on your way," stated Jaune through gritted teeth.

Shiro simply giggled.

"Ah gomen, gomen, I didn't mean to be so blunt, I am merely giving you a friendly warning," she stated as she made to walk around ABSN along with her brother.

Jaune's eyes followed the two, his tension never leaving. Suddenly Shiro slowed to a stop.

"Have you told them yet, Neko-chan?" she asked.

Jaune blinked at her question before looking towards Blake for answers only to see the girl paler than he had ever seen. Upon hearing Blake's silence Shiro let out another bone chilling giggle.

"Oh dear… I do wonder if loyalty is simply a toy for you to play with, Neko-chan..." stated Shiro before she and her brother continued to walk away.

Jaune didn't let his guard down until the two were a good distance away before he finally allowed himself to relax.

"Everyone alright?" he asked.

He received a variety of nods in return, although Blake's nod was a bit hesitant and shaky. Jaune knelt down before Blake.

"Who were those two?" he asked.

Blake simply looked away from Jaune's questioning eyes, unable to look at him. Jaune sighed before he got up and looked towards Weiss.

"C'mon guys, let's head towards that teahouse, so we can clear our heads."

After receiving various nods of agreement, Jaune held a hand out to Blake who looked at the offered appendage for a while before hesitantly taking it.

* * *

_Why? Why?! WHY?!_

Blake's head was in full turmoil over what had transpired just a few moments ago, where her past came back to haunt her. Here Blake was ready to lay out her biggest secret to those that she held dear and fate decides to rear its ugly head at the worst of times.

_Damn it; for once in my life can things go right? Is that too much to ask?!_

Blake grit her teeth as she stared at the concrete below her feet as she walked in step with her team whom now surrounded her protectively, Weiss up ahead leading the way while Jaune and Pyrrha flanked her sides. The two seemed to give off an aura of hostility towards any who came within a few yards of the group causing them to be given a wide berth. The genuine care that Blake's friends were showing for her was both warmed Blake's heart… and made her sick to her stomach.

_**I wonder… would they continue to do this if they knew who you really were? Murderer.**_

Blake had to swallow a small bit of bile that managed to work its way up her throat, its bitter taste lingering on her tongue making her mood even worse.

_**Would they stay? Would they turn you in? Can you trust them? Oh so many questions to be answered in such little time…**_

Blake shook her head trying to block the venomous words out.

_Just stay calm, Blake… just stay calm…_

Blake took a shaky breath as she willed her nerves away allowing herself to breath a bit easier and think a bit clearer, but the negative thoughts were still there… like Grimm prowling the borders of a city waiting for any weakness. So deep was Blake in her thoughts that she didn't notice Weiss stop at an intersection just barely managing to not crash into the smaller girl with a gasp. Unfortunately, Blake's blunder didn't go unnoticed as Weiss turned around towards Blake with concerned eyes.

"Are you all right Blake?"

Blake looked back into Weiss' eyes… full of genuine concern for her…

_**But is it really?**_

Blake's eyes widened as she tore her gaze away from her partner, looking towards a window beside her. Upon seeing her faint reflection, Blake couldn't help but glare.

"I'm fine," answered Blake as quickly as possible.

From the corner of her eye she noticed Weiss reach for her for a bit, the girl's mouth opened as if to say something. Then Weiss seemed to think better of it as she lowered her arm and closed her mouth, turning around.

"I see."

Blake's heart almost shattered to pieces upon hearing how downtrodden Weiss sounded as she said those words. She immediately wanted to comfort her partner, tell her that it wasn't her that Blake was mad at. Yet, what could she say? Did she even deserve to say anything?

"WALK SIGN IS ON. WALK SIGN IS ON."

A robotic voice rang out from the pole where the traffic lights hung, dutifully letting any with a sight disability know that it was safe to cross. Weiss simply walked forward without a word leaving Blake no choice but to follow, head down in shame. Blake didn't even want to know what her other teammates were thinking, perhaps they were too vigilant in trying to seek out any possible threat to pay attention to her, or perhaps they were simply giving her space. Either way it was for the best, Blake didn't think she was in the right state of mind to really give a stable answer.

_**But will you be when you finally reach the café? You do remember why you were originally here, yes?**_

Of course Blake remembered… that was why she felt the need to empty the contents of her stomach as fear and doubt slowly began to overwhelm her.

"You need time to rest Blake?"

Blake looked over at her leader who currently wasn't looking at her, but Blake could tell that part of his attention was on her given the way he glanced at her from the corner of his eye every once in a while before his eyes went back to surveying the crowd. Blake didn't trust herself to speak, merely shaking her head.

"Just remember that we're here for you when you're in need," stated Jaune sending her a reassuring smile.

_Stop it._

Blake felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see that it was Pyrrha's hand. The Mistralian, like Jaune, was dutifully surveying the team's surroundings, but half of her attention went to Blake. Pyrrha gave Blake's shoulder a comforting squeeze, the gesture stating 'I'm here for you' before Pyrrha lowered her hand.

_Please stop it._

In front of her, Weiss turned her head to look back at Blake, her cold professional mask upon her face making her hard to read… but her eyes told a different story. They showed just how much concern the heiress held for her partner, they showed the love and compassion that the young Schnee had for her teammates whom had become like family.

_If you keep this up…_

Blake felt her eyes starting to build up moisture as stress started to become more than she could handle.

"Look, this is it," stated Weiss, coming to a stop in front of a modest building looking fairly out of place surrounded by all the grand skyscrapers of Vale.

Blake bore it no mind as she concentrated on keeping her tears back.

"C'mon Blake, some tea to get our mind off things should do us good," said Jaune softly putting a hand on Blake's back.

The comforting smiles, the kind actions, and the warm atmosphere for some reason made Blake feel more alone than she had ever been before.

_I don't know if I'd ever be able to tell you who I truly am._

* * *

Jingle. Jingle.

Bells sang their tunes as Weiss opened the door to the Beige Café where her nostrils were assaulted by the smell of coffee and wood.

"Welcome! Please take a seat wherever you'd like!" called a gruff voice with a heavy accent.

The café had a very homey atmosphere with the place being made almost entirely out of various types of wood, the only things that were not made of wood were the walls which were made of brick and the two ceiling fans… which had wooden blades that spun dutifully to keep the café cool. There were six tables in total, all with four chairs surrounding them along with a burgundy wooden bar with about a dozen wooden stools surrounding the outside. There was also a small hallway entrance near the café entrance, which Weiss guessed led to the bathrooms.

"C'mon guys, we probably should find a seat," urged Jaune from behind Weiss bringing her out of her musings.

Her eyes scanned the room for an empty table, which was not hard since it seemed that the café wasn't very full today most of the present customers sitting at various places of the bar. Weiss took the initiative and lead her group towards a table near the hallway next to a window. Weiss sat nearest to the window on one side of the table, Blake sat opposite of her, Pyrrha sat next to Weiss and Jaune sat next to Blake. For a while there was an awkward silence allowing Weiss to hear the clanking of metal against pottery as customers enjoyed their beverages, the subtle whirr of the ceiling fans and the faint noise of the city outside. It was almost as if Weiss and her team were frozen in time as the world around them continued to move on regardless of their presence…

"So what'll ya have?"

Weiss jerked out of her thoughts, her eyes darting to the source of the voice only to see a hulking man standing next to their table with his hands on his hips. The man wore a brown, red, and white plaid collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of faded jeans along with a bright red apron that hung over the man's attire. The man himself, along with his massive build was rather… generous in the hair department from the amount Weiss saw on the man's arms and the bushy beard on the man's face accompanied by the man's decently long hair. The man had a rather friendly smile on his face, his brown eyes warm and jovial something that was rather lacking whenever she remembered a certain father of hers.

"This 'Special Brew' sounds interesting," stated Jaune, "I think we'll have those all around."

Weiss blinked and looked towards her leader whom held a piece of paper in one hand that Weiss assumed was a menu.

_Where did he-?_

Weiss suddenly spotted a stack off menus standing in a small rectangular wooden holder right next to the window… in front of her.

_Ah._

Weiss looked back towards her leader who held a friendly smile as if he had forgotten what had transpired only a several minutes ago on their journey here. Looking to her right, Weiss saw the Pyrrha also held an amicable smile as well, making polite comments about the humble establishment. Weiss could only smile ruefully at how easily the two could make it seem like there was nothing wrong.

_When there clearly is something wrong._

Weiss cast a glance towards Blake, who continued to stare blankly outside, completely oblivious to the conversation going on beside her.

"Ah, so you're hunters-in-training eh? Beacon I'm assuming?" stated the man letting out a hardy laugh, "It's good to know that our future's heroes are enjoying their youth while they can."

Jaune simply let out an awkward laugh at that scratching the back of his head out of habit.

"So are you four part of the same team?" asked the elderly man.

"Yeah," said Jaune with a smirk, "We're known as team ABSN."

Weiss didn't know if it was her eyes deceiving her, but she thought for a split second the man's smile turned into a small frown, but it was back to a smile too fast to be positive.

"Well then, that certainly is an interesting name," said the man before he turned to walk to the kitchen, "I'll have your coffee ready for you in a bit."

"Thanks!" Jaune called after the man's retreating back.

"He's certainly friendly man," said Pyrrha.

"Heh, yeah, though I honestly felt a bit intimidated by his size," chuckled Jaune, "I felt like I was being stared down by an Ursa Major."

Weiss watched the two interact like it was just another hangout, as if the tension that practically wafted off their silent, black-themed teammate didn't exist.

_Can they not see that Blake is suffering?! Why can't they do something about it?_

It's not like Weiss could do anything, hell, she tried once…

_"I'm fine."_

The glare that Blake held on her face for a moment had caused Weiss to freeze up and pain to swell up in her chest even as she forced herself to turn away so Blake would be unable to see her hurt expression. Was it because of this that Jaune and Pyrrha aren't going to even try? Or…

_Or are they simply waiting until Blake is actually ready to talk?_

Weiss looked at the faunus girl across from her again, who seemed to be frozen in the same position she was in before. This girl was Weiss' partner… and Weiss had no idea how to comfort her. Weiss still remembered how she felt herself freeze up when she saw Blake's fearful gaze upon meeting the twins. Who was it that stood protectively in front of both Blake and Weiss? Weiss would have liked to believe she would have, but when push came to shove, Jaune was there, ready for a fight as he used his body to block the siblings away, with Pyrrha right beside him. It was as if the world was mocking her through her teammates whom only had the best of intentions.

_Why was it that Weiss couldn't follow their example? Why was it that she could never figure out how best to comfort her teammates? Why?_

The questions swirled around Weiss' head enough to make her feel nauseous. Finally Weiss stood up, earning the attention of her teammates, even Blake it seemed, whose ears seemed to flick to her direction under her bow.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Weiss announced as she started walking towards the hallway.

Weiss didn't bother to look at the concerned faces of her teammates; she couldn't, not when it was Blake they needed to be worrying about. Weiss stepped into the woman's restroom and leaned against the sink that was there. Weiss stared at the metal drain where her distorted reflection stared right back up at her. Weiss slowly looked up towards the mirror so that she could get a better look and what she saw made her want to punch the glass. She saw a pitiful brat with tears ready to fall out of the corners because she didn't get what she wanted.

_Do I really have any right to feel sorry for myself when my teammates clearly the one suffering more?_

Weiss did not know much about Blake's past due to how close the girl kept her cards to her chest, but she did know that such a past weighed heavily on the faunus girl's mind, with today's events solidifying that statement. How would Weiss' life ever compare?

_Enough, you need to stay strong._

Weiss shook her head and smacked her cheeks with both hands, the pain jolting her out of her depression temporarily. It was all she needed to regain control of her emotions as she stared into the mirror.

"Hang in there Schnee," stated Weiss before she walked out the bathroom and back towards the table where her team sat.

It was during this walk that Weiss noticed the pictures that lined the hall.

_How did I miss these?_

Weiss felt her legs slow down as she gazed at the old pictures apparently from a time when color photography wasn't in existence. Weiss couldn't help but smile as her eye followed along the pictures as they depicted good times long past between the youthful people that were captured throughout. One particular picture gave Weiss pause. It was a simple picture, one that had four individuals side-by-side looking into the camera while crouched around what looked to be a small mound where they must have planted something. It seemed as though the four were hunters-in-training judging from the weapons that sat not too far away, but what really caught Weiss' eye was how eerily familiar all four of them looked.

Weiss' felt her eyes scanning each face from left to right as she studied the picture before her. The first was a boy with a pair of spectacles on his face as he grinned roguishly into the camera. The next was another boy who seemed to be holding the entire group together with his arms as he had a seemingly unbreakable smile on his face. Right next to the ever-smiling boy was a girl, the only girl in the picture in fact who looked rather flustered even as she seemed to lean into the smiling boy with a content smile of her own as she looked into the camera. Weiss felt her heart ache when she looked at the girl, although she couldn't place why… but she didn't think on it too much as she looked towards the last face. It was a faunus boy with cat ears and a rather emotionless expression on his face, which was a bit jarred by the barely noticeable smile on his face.

"Ah, that one is one of my favorites."

Weiss almost yelped out loud as she spun to see the café owner standing beside her looking at the pictures with a look of nostalgia on his face. When Weiss didn't speak, the man continued talking.

"Those days are long gone, but they were good days… very bright days…"

A sad smile spread across the man's face even as Weiss stared at him and then back towards the picture before her. Suddenly Weiss felt a heavy weight on her shoulder jolting her once more out of her thoughts and looked to see the man had recovered and placed a hand on her shoulder smiling down at her.

"Your coffee is on the table and your friends are waiting for you, best get to it young one."

Weiss' eyes widened realizing how long she had been gone.

"R-Right, my apologies," she said as she briskly made her way down the rest of the hall back into the café itself where she spotted her team already enjoying their coffee.

Pyrrha and Jaune immediately looked her way with worried expressions on their faces to which Weiss simply waved them off as she took her place beside Pyrrha.

"Sorry, guys, I got side-tracked," she said.

Weiss stole a glance at Blake who eyes seemed to dart over towards Weiss' general direction before going back towards the cup. Weiss felt a bit of relief and even more when she saw the girl drinking her coffee.

_At least she's not completely despondent._

"Hey Weiss."

Weiss looked towards Jaune who had a big grin on his face, one that caused Weiss to think back on the picture in the hallway.

"You gonna drink your coffee or can I have it?"

Weiss gave Jaune a deadpanned look.

"Touch my coffee and you die, Arc," she said even as a small smile ruined the effect.

Jaune simply let out a laugh and raised his hands disarmingly with Pyrrha's giggles chorusing with him. Weiss looked over towards Blake and was further relieved upon seeing a small, timid smile appearing on the girl's face. Weiss finally allowed herself to pick up the mug in front of her and as she basked in the friendly atmosphere around her.

_"It's good to know that our future's heroes are enjoying their youth while they can."_

Weiss looked over towards where the old café owner was busy filling out other orders humming a merry tune as he did.

_Enjoying our youth eh?_

Weiss thought back to the picture of the four individuals smiling like they could take on the world. Weiss chuckled to herself as she took a sip of the coffee only for her eyes to shoot open.

_Damn. This is some good coffee._

* * *

"Well I'm not getting any sleep tonight."

Pyrrha giggled at her leader's expense as he grumbled next to her while glaring at his hand. The team had just gotten back from Vale after enjoying the best coffee that they've ever had, so much in fact that they ended up ordering seconds and then thirds. Weiss ended up not being effected the slightest due to the fact that she drank coffee almost everyday in order to be able to function in the morning. Pyrrha wasn't effected much either due to such stimulants having absolutely no effect on her whatsoever. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for Jaune and Blake who weren't at all used to the effects of too much caffeine in one sitting and were thus paying the consequences back in the ABSN dorm room.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, you just need to drink lots of water," stated Pyrrha with a smile.

Jaune stared at Pyrrha with a deadpanned expression.

"Pyrrha, my hand is shaking by itself, how the hell is this fine?" he asked.

"That's the normal reaction when you ingest too much of a stimulant," said Weiss sternly as she handed Jaune a bottle of water.

Jaune accepted the bottle gratefully all while trying to keep his hand steady as he moved with no such luck.

"Besides, your reaction is pretty tame compared to Blake," stated Weiss.

Pyrrha looked over to where their resident faunus was. Blake was sitting in her bed as per usual with a book in her hands like normal, but unlike most times where Blake was calmly and silently reading in the most inconspicuous manner possible…

"Ooooh this is the good part, I like this part, I've read this part twenty times already! Or was it a hundred? Or maybe a thousand! But wait that'd be impossible I've never had that much time to read this book. I wonder what'll happen next, wait I'm already reading what's happening next, then what happens next, next! Wait! I'm done reading! Let's read it again!"

Pyrrha could only stare in slight amazement at the amount of words that spewed out of Blake's mouth in such a small time frame. Not only that, but Blake was also flipping through the pages in quick succession making the Mistral Champion wonder if the girl was actually reading the pages. Add the fact that Blake's expressionless face was now completely wide-eyed with excitement and she seemed to be bouncing up and down on her bed… and it showed a very childish side of ABSN's resident faunus ninja.

"Eheh… yeah, I guess I have it a bit easier than Blake now don't I?" said Jaune with a nervous chuckle as the group watched the display.

Jaune then proceeded to guzzle down his water as quick as possible all while struggling to keep his hand perfectly still. Pyrrha giggled again as she leaned back, letting her hands support her as she looked out the sole window of the dorm. It was a beautiful clear night, with Remnant's shattered moon shining as bright as ever in the darkened sky. One of the many decorative trees that lined Beacon's campus stood tall to the right of Pyrrha's vision, one of its branches being the only thing obstructing Pyrrha's view… Suddenly a cat appeared out of nowhere, perching itself at the edge of the branch… perfectly in the center of the moon. The cat's silhouette posed a striking image… as well as slightly chilling.

_"It has certainly been a while, Neko-chan."_

Shiro's words from earlier slowly made their way back to the forefront of Pyrrha's mind as she stared at the cat in all its majesty. Pyrrha didn't know why, but something in her gut was telling her that today wasn't the last time they would run into that pair. It was then that the stray cat turned its head to meet Pyrrha's, its yellow eyes delving into Pyrrha's very soul. Then just like a dream, the cat averted its gaze and disappeared back down the tree into the night. Pyrrha couldn't help but continue to stare at where the cat was perched before.

_Could it have been an omen?_

Pyrrha suddenly shook her head in amusement.

_ What am I spouting? I've never believed in such things, maybe the coffee's gone to my head too._

Pyrrha looked back towards Blake was currently bouncing on Weiss' bed now much to the heiress' annoyance. Beside Pyrrha, Jaune was laughing at his teammates' expense as he guzzled down his fourth bottle of water. It was scenes like this that made Pyrrha proud to be a part of this team and infinitely happy. Pyrrha let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes as she engrained the image into memory. It was then that Pyrrha felt something slam into her throwing the girl onto her back. Pyrrha lay there dazed staring at the ceiling.

"Pyrrha! Blake! Are you all right?!" came Weiss' voice of concern.

Pyrrha made to sit up and reassure the girl only to find that she couldn't move. Pyrrha looked down to see Blake was on top of her hugging her torso her face buried in Pyrrha' neck. Pyrrha let out a small smile. It seemed the girl's caffeine high also caused the faunus to become a bit more touchy-feely. As Pyrrha reached over to ask Blake to get off, Blake whispered something that caused Pyrrha to freeze. The next moment, Blake was standing up straight smiling strangely as her hair covered her eyes.

"Blake?" asked Jaune in surprise at the sudden movement.

Blake simply ran over and hugged the confused boy as well Pyrrha guessed she whispered something to Jaune too as his eyes widened a bit before his look became a bit concerned. Blake then hopped off Jaune with a small giggle before finally pouncing on top of Weiss who let out an indignant shriek.

"Blake, what on Remnant are yo-," started Weiss before she stopped when Blake whispered something to her as well.

Blake then leapt back into her bed where she promptly buried her face into her pillow, curling up into a ball leaving her teammates stunned at what had just occurred. Pyrrha wasn't worrying herself about Blake's different personality, however; instead, her mind was currently focused on what the girl had whispered to her in one incredibly fragile moment.

_"I'm sorry."_

* * *

"_So what did you think sis?_" asked Kuro in his native tongue as he leaned against a nearby brick wall.

He was currently guarding the entrance to one of Vale's many alleyways in the shadier parts of the Kingdom. While he earned some dirty looks for his status as a faunus, none dared to approach him due to the fact that he was rather intimidating.

"Hmm?" came the answer farther down the alleyway slight squelching sounds accompanying the voice.

Kuro wasn't bothered at all by the noise as he continued.

"_About meeting the traitor again?_" he supplied, "_You had that thinking look again._"

The noises stopped followed by a dark giggle.

"_Oh__ Kuro, my dear brother, you know me too well~_," sang Shiro's voice.

Kuro rolled his eyes.

"_I am your brother after all_."

Another giggle sounded before the sound of footsteps were heard and Shiro walked out of the shadows of the alleyway wiping her face with a handkerchief.

"_Aaah~! That felt good~_," sang Shiro.

Kuro gave his twin sister a deadpanned look Shiro took notice of this and waved her arms apologetically. The two started to make their way from the alleyway as Kuro continued to look at Shiro expectantly.

"_Sorry, sorry_, _I get lost in the feeling sometimes_," she stated before she lowered her arms, an eerie smile appearing on her face as she closed her eyes, "_As for w__hat I was thinking..._"

A wicked smile appeared on the faunus girl's face as her eyes opened, her eyes holding a predatory glint.

"**_Was_****_ how utterly delicious that Schnee girl looked._**"

Back in the alleyway few crows descended, attracted to the smell of the blood that was smeared across the walls and all over the floor...


	18. Of Fear and Doubt

**Ch. 16: Of Fear and Doubt**

Jaune groggily opened his eyes and was met with the sight of his team's still darkened dorm room. Jaune blinked as his slowly turned to look out the lone window only to see that the sky was still fairly dark, not a hint of the sun's rays to be seen anywhere. He could have just looked at the digital clock sitting on Pyrrha's bedside table, but Jaune had no real wish to stare at the blaring neon green lights that it emitted. Something in Jaune's gut told him that it wouldn't really be worth it to go back to sleep, however, so he simply sat up rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

_"I'm sorry."_

Jaune stopped his movements before slowly lowing his hand from his face, staring at the ground. Those were the words that Blake had told him and apparently the rest of the team before she leapt into her bed and didn't speak since then. Jaune was haunted by how vulnerable Blake sounded when she said those words. He always saw Blake as the composed, strong and silent girl of team ABSN never to be one to show weakness. It was a jarring twist.

_But what was she telling us when she said those words?_

Jaune looked up towards the opposite end of the room, where Blake's bed rested. The faunus girl herself was currently completely covered by her blanket, the only thing sticking out being the tips of her black bow. Jaune watched as every once in a while, the bow would wiggle slightly as Blake's ears adjusted themselves within it bringing a slight smile to his face. That is until the though of the day before came back into the forefront, causing Jaune to frown. He recalled ABSN's run-in with the foreign faunus twins and Blake's reaction to them. Jaune could still vividly remember the look of sheer terror that Blake had in her eyes when she looked upon the sister…

_"You can call me Shiro, Jaune Arc-san."_

Jaune felt himself involuntarily shiver as the chilling words. Nothing was right about that girl, no matter how much he tried to find reason in her words, her posture, and her expression. It was like the girl was wearing a mask similar to those that ABSN wore everyday in the general public, but something told Jaune that if he somehow were able to peel away that mask, nothing would be underneath.

_"This one however… you may want to watch your back with."_

Just like that Jaune's feeling of unease was replaced by restrained fury as he remembered the fox faunus belittling Blake.

_"Remember Jaune, you must never hit a lady! An Arc must always be a gentlemen when it comes to those regards!"_

Jaune almost let out a snort of amusement as his fath… Julius' words came to the forefront of his head.

_Of all the words of advice that I ignored over the years, that one was actually one that I agreed with… at least until now._

Jaune didn't care if that girl was the lady of the land; if she said one more negative thing about Blake in front of him he was pretty sure he'd send his fist at her arrogant face. Jaune grit his teeth as he glared at the floor, thoughts of the twins and Blake's terrified face swirling around in his head. Whatever past that they had together in the past, Jaune would make sure that the twins knew that Blake was now a proud member of ABSN and would not be someone to be taken lightly, _by anyone._ Suddenly Jaune jumped as movement nearby caught his attention. Jaune looked up only to see that it was Pyrrha who had also sat up and was sitting at the edge of her bed facing him. Pyrrha's long red hair was let loose allowing it to cascade down in front of her face and down her back. Pyrrha leaned forward and motioned for Jaune to do the same, prompting him to follow his partner's request.

"Were you thinking of yesterday as well?" whispered Pyrrha.

Jaune couldn't help but smirk at his partner's inquiry.

"You know me all too well," Jaune whispered back, "Those two left quite the… impression on me if you know what I mean.

Pyrrha didn't answer for a moment before Jaune spotted her hands slowly gripping into fists.

"They left more than an impression on me," said Pyrrha.

Jaune waited for Pyrrha to elaborate, but when she didn't, Jaune figured it was best not to try and pry… especially since he probably had a good idea on what Pyrrha was actually thinking when she said those words. Jaune looked over towards Blake's bed again.

"I can only wonder what Blake's relationship was with those two… what past did she share with them?"

Pyrrha turned her head slightly to the side, most likely to stare in the same direction as Jaune out of the corner of her eye. For a while Pyrrha was silent before she turned back around to face Jaune.

"And I honestly don't care," Pyrrha stated.

Jaune blinked before looking towards Pyrrha in surprise never having heard such a blunt phrase come from the champion's mouth. It sounded so cold… and harsh, a sharp contrast to the Pyrrha that Jaune knew and was most certainly a stark contrast to the Mistral Champion that the world knew. There were many ways others would have reacted to such a change: fear, anger, maybe even disgust. Jaune, however, wasn't any of those, in fact if there was one word that were to describe what he was feeling now, it would be… elated. Every day Jaune was discovering new sides of his partner that he had never thought he'd have the pleasure of seeing. He was also seeing just how similar they were in their way of thinking and approaching things, with this case proving just how similar they were.

_That's right… I could think all I want about Blake's past with those two… but if I were to continue that it would simply be a waste of time… because the reality of the situation is…_

"I don't really care all that much either," Jaune whispered back, his fists tightened even more, "Blake's past doesn't matter anymore."

_What matters is the fact that there are people out there who want to belittle her… maybe even hurt her._

Jaune's eyes narrowed when he thought of the prospect of any of his teammates getting hurt. If he was inadequate in anyway, his teammates would pay for it, he had to become stronger, he had to be able to protect his newfound family.

"Hey Pyrrha," said Jaune as he looked up towards his redheaded partner, his face set into a determined frown.

Pyrrha turned her head slightly back towards Jaune to indicate that she was listening to him.

"I know it might be a bit early… but do you want to start our morning workout?"

Pyrrha slowly turned her head to fully face Jaune, her emerald eyes finally meeting his own blue orbs. Within them he saw the same fire that he held within his own soul. Slowly Pyrrha's neutral look morphed into a large, rather savage looking grin.

"I thought you would never ask."

* * *

Blake groggily opened her eyes and stared at the fabric of her blanket. The sun's rays gave the blanket a slight glow as the light attempted to seep in between the woven thread. Blake listened as the songbirds greeted the new day, chirping happily away without a care in the world. As Blake lay there, she started to realize just how little sleep she had gotten last night.

_And I wonder whose fault that was._

Memories of last night came back in extremely embarrassing waves as started to remember the details of what she said and just how addled her mind had become during that time. She may as well have been high off drugs!

_That is the last time I have coffee. Ever._

Blake sat there as the thought went through her head before she curled herself into a ball.

_But it tasted so good…_

Just thinking of the heavenly brew brought saliva to Blake's mouth, which she quickly swallowed, her cheeks becoming red in embarrassment. Honestly though, could anyone blame her for the way she reacted to stimulant? The last time Blake ever had coffee was-

_"Margaret? What are you drinking?"_

Blake's mood went somber in an instant as the memory came back…

_ A younger Blake stared up at her surrogate mother who was holding a yellow mug with a strange hot, black liquid in it. Over past couple of years of living with Margaret, Blake was starting to become a bit more used to the older faunus' company… in fact Blake found herself relying on it. And with that growing bond, Blake's natural curiosity towards everything and anything grew as well, especially towards things she had never seen before. Margaret looked up from the flattened cardboard box she was working on. Blake remembered Margaret mentioning making some sort of sign for a rally… whatever that was._

_ "I'm drinking coffee," answered Margaret with a smile._

_ Blake cocked her head slightly._

_ "What's coffee?"_

_ Margaret let out a slight giggle as she put down the marker in her hand and picked up the mug of coffee with her other hand as she turned to face Blake._

_ "It is the greatest creation on Remnant, would you like some?" asked Margaret with a slightly mischievous look on her face._

_ Blake stared at the mug for a little while before held out her hands for the cup. Margaret smiled as she gently placed the hot cup on Blake's hands. The initial contact caused Blake to flinch due to how hot the cup was, but afterwards Blake was able to hold it semi-steadily. Blake slowly brought the mug to her lips, the steaming black liquid seeming a bit daunting in appearance. Blake pushed away any doubt. She had seen Margaret drink this; it must mean that Blake could drink it to. With that though in mind and a new wave of determination, Blake took a large gulp immediately coming to regret it, as pain immediately became a close companion. The searing hot liquid flowed through Blake's mouth and down her throat as she swallowed, not only that, but any of the taste buds that managed to survive the burning ordeal were introduced to one of the most unpleasant tastes that Blake experienced. Blake coughed and sputtered as she pushed the mug back towards Margaret._

_ "Bleh! That was awful!" whined Blake as she attempted to rid herself of the taste by holding her tongue out while wiping at it with her hands._

_ The entire time Margaret was giggling uncontrollably at Blake's antics._

_ "Well it's a bit of an acquired taste," stated Margaret in between giggles._

_ Blake pouted at Margaret for doing something so underhanded. Suddenly Blake felt a strange sensation throughout her entire body. Blake couldn't place what it was… only that it was there… and it made Blake _really_ want to run around…_

Blake allowed a small smile onto her face at the memory. Margaret had to spend the entire day trying to rid Blake of the excess energy that was given to her by the coffee. Not that the older faunus had minded as she was laughing the entire time at Blake's antics…

_Margaret._

Just thinking of the only mother that she had known brought tears to Blake's eyes.

_That's right… tomorrow is the one-year anniversary… of Margaret's death._

Blake thought back to the makeshift grave that she had made for Margaret.

_Maybe I should visit tomorrow…_

"C'mon Weiss! Keep moving!"

Blake blinked. That was Jaune's voice… from outside. Blake slowly her sheets off her head immediately regretting the decision as the sun's rays were blinding and didn't help the growing headache that became apparent as soon as Blake moved her head. With a slight groan of effort, Blake managed to leave the comfort of her bed and make her way towards the window. She looked out towards the rising sun and found herself entranced by the beauty that surrounded Beacon. The lush green Emerald Forest and the majestic mountains in the distance made for a very picturesque atmosphere.

"I know you can do it Weiss, get going!"

Blake's gaze immediately lowered towards the source of the voice to see Jaune and Pyrrha in the midst of running past a slow moving Weiss who looked to be at the end of her rope. Blake let out a slight chuckle at Weiss' predicament. While she respected Weiss' drive to become stronger, it still seemed slightly out of place for the heiress to be training with the same regiment as a foot soldier.

_Though something's different today…_

Blake looked over towards Jaune and Pyrrha who had just disappeared around the corner. Thanks to her sharp eyesight, Blake was able to see the expressions on both Jaune and Pyrrha's faces. They held looks of grim determination, something that Blake had not seen any other training session that they did, especially for a morning warm-up. Hell it was Saturday today; they usually had this day off in order to recuperate, what drove them to workout now?

_"It has certainly been a while, Neko-chan."_

Blake closed her eyes at the memory.

_That's right… we ran into Shiro and Kuro._

The unpleasant confrontation had left Blake shaken to the point where she was more than willing to drink three cups of coffee despite her common sense telling her not to. She remembered being shocked, scared, and… confused. Looking upon the twins brought back so many memories of her time in the White Fang, the horrid times… and the good times.

_Of course I'd be confused about my feelings upon meeting them, of course I'd be in a very unstable state of mind…_

An image of a younger pair of fox faunai smiling playfully at her while holding hands appeared at the forefront of Blake's mind.

_Because part of me was happy to see them._

* * *

Weiss sighed for what may have been the tenth time in a row. She was currently seated in Beacon's library trying to get some extra studying done during the weekends. Weiss didn't get her excellent grades just by slacking off; she still had the disciplinary lessons of her tutors in her after all. Today however, Weiss found studying to be a difficult task to focus on. The reason? A certain black haired cat faunus. Weiss just couldn't get the events from yesterday out of her head especially the look on Blake's face when she stared up at the fox faunus twins.

_Enough, Blake doesn't want to talk about that therefore it's not something I should worry about it._

Weiss shook her head and went back to looking towards the book she was referencing, dutifully jotting down notes for another five minutes before her focus once again waned. Weiss gritted her teeth and tried to push through for another two minutes before she finally put her writing utensil and leaned back on her chair in defeat. Weiss allowed her head to roll back and stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts flow as they wanted to. She replayed ABSN's meeting of the twins over and over in her head, the fear she saw in Blake's eyes upon meeting them, the malice that came from the twins especially the girl.

_I already knew Blake had a tough past judging from what I've seen already… especially on the rooftop._

Weiss still remembered that moment as if it were just yesterday. Blake slamming her fist on the rooftop so hard that the stone beneath her cracked a bit under the pressure. The look of pure anguish on Blake's face as she did so and not due to pain from the punch and the strangled noise of her cry as she begged for the silence of whatever ghost was tormenting her… it was an scene that Weiss would likely remember for the rest of her life.

_Could it be that those two are part of the reason for Blake's anguish?_

Weiss knew more than most about jumping to conclusions, but the way Blake was acting made Weiss all the more suspicious of the turn of events. Weiss closed her eyes as she felt a bit of a headache come forth.

_Just what are you hiding, Blake Belladonna?_

"Uh…"

Weiss blinked before rotating her head towards the source of the timid voice that sounded only to see a certain silver-eyed leader awkwardly standing beside Weiss' chair with a look of trepidation on her face. Weiss stared at the younger girl for a while waiting to see what the girl wanted, but Ruby seemed to be frozen in indecision thanks to Weiss' rather cold stare. Weiss let out a sigh.

"Is there something in particular you want Rose?" asked Weiss.

This seemed to jolt the little reaper to her senses as she immediately started to become animated again although all in embarrassment. Weiss waited for a little while more as the girl tumbled over her own words until finally Weiss got fed up.

"Spit it out Rose, I don't have all day."

Ruby shut her trap instantly shrinking and shook her head before grabbing one arm with her other and rubbing it, a nervous habit if Weiss had to hazard a guess.

"I-I was just wondering if you were okay…" muttered Ruby, her face flushed red.

Weiss lifted a brow at the younger girl. Why wouldn't she be okay, she was talking to her just-. Suddenly Weiss realized the position she was in. Currently, she was leaned against the back of the chair she was sitting on, her legs lazily stretched out, her head lulled back and her arms hanging off the sides. She looked the exact opposite of the diligent image that she had created for herself over the past few months.

_Huh… I guess that would cause for concern._

Despite thinking this, Weiss found she really didn't care all that much… not with what was going on in her mind being her main focus.

_I need to take my mind off of this._

Weiss slowly stood up and collected her things deep in thought.

_At this point I'm just doing poor work._

"Um…"

_Oh right Rose is still here._

Weiss looked over towards Ruby who still stood there awkwardly as she looked shyly up at Weiss while shuffling her feet. Weiss sighed as she leaned against the table she was studying on.

"I'm fine, Rose, I just have a lot on my mind," stated Weiss as she closed her eyes trying to rid herself of her inner thoughts.

There was another awkward silence as Weiss continued to try and compose herself not paying too much mind to the girl that was beside her, which was why the next sentence caught Weiss completely off guard.

"W-Well if you're looking for a distraction… m-maybe you'd like to…" started Ruby a bit shakily before Weiss heard her take a deep breath in order to calm herself, "Come to Vale with me?"

Another awkward silence.

Silence.

More silence.

"What?"

Weiss barely registered that it was her that spoke. She was not prepared at all for that sentence, at all. The entire time she was still sort of focusing on Blake's plight thus when she heard what sounded like an invitation to a date from Ruby Rose of all people her mind went completely blank. Ruby seemed to notice Weiss' reaction as she immediately waved her hands frantically in front of her.

"You don't have to if you don't want to!" said Ruby in panic, "I just thought-! I was just-! I was only wonder-!"

Suddenly Ruby deflated with a defeated sigh.

"Nevermind, sorry for bothering you Weiss."

Ruby started trudging away; the movement was enough to get Weiss back to her sentence as her eye followed the younger girl's path as the girl slowly made her way towards the library entrance. It was then that she actually started thinking of the girl's proposal.

_I guess it's true that a walk in Vale can clear my head._

Weiss stared at the retreating girl's back.

_And it's also true that I've always wanted to get to know Rose a bit more…_

Weiss' thoughts went to the moment of ABSN's victory over the Arcs where Ruby was the only one who actually applauded them adamantly. Weiss let out a sniff as she smiled.

"Rose," she called.

Ruby immediately went rigid, her posture straightening up right with her arms locking to her sides, much like a soldier standing at attention.

"Y-yes?!" squeaked Ruby not turning around.

Weiss rolled her eyes at the younger girl's antics.

"It's quite rude of you to walk away when you haven't even received an answer yet," Weiss said pointedly.

Ruby seemed to twitch at that before she slowly turned to face Weiss, the look of trepidation back on her face. Weiss frowned slightly at this, but shrugged to herself.

_One thing at a time. First thing's first._

Weiss then pushed off the table she was leaning on and walked up to Ruby each step seeming to cause the younger girl to tense up more and more. Weiss was surprised that Ruby didn't just disappear in a fray of petals by the time she had reached her. Weiss scrutinized Ruby for a moment more before she finally reached up… and flicked Ruby on the forehead.

_I need to dispel this tension._

And dispel the tension it did as Ruby's posture immediately returned to its normal state as the girl whined in indignation while rubbing her forehead. Weiss allowed a small smile at the display before she schooled her features.

"If you would have me, I suppose a walk in Vale wouldn't hurt," said Weiss.

Upon hearing this, Ruby seemed to go into a state of shock; her mouth hanging wide open while her silver eyes grew in size. Weiss held back a giggle as she turned a bit so that she was staring at Ruby through the corner of her eyes.

"I just need to return my books to my room if that is alright with you," continued Weiss.

Ruby seemed to snap into reality as her shocked state morphed into one of elation as a huge smile appeared on her face.

"That's alright with me! Totally alright with me!"

Weiss nodded before she turned towards the table, her back to Ruby where she finally allowed herself to smile.

_I will have time to worry about Blake later. Besides, she will tell us when she is ready to, I trust her enough on the aspect._

Weiss took a glance at Ruby who looked to be cheering silently to herself.

_Besides… didn't I want to get to know Rose at one point?_

* * *

Pyrrha leaned back against the wall trying to catch her breath. She and Jaune had spent the better part of the day training in what had been their toughest training session yet and were now resting near Beacon's cafeteria building. Even though the training was still pretty much a breeze to Pyrrha and her partner, it was good enough to at least get their minds off of the elephant in the room, even if it was just a small reprieve. Pyrrha looked over at Jaune who was currently taking a sip out of his water while staring up at the sky, which was turning orange due to the setting sun. Upon noticing Pyrrha's gaze, Jaune looked over to meet Pyrrha's eyes a small smirk on his face.

"Something on your mind, partner?"

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile back.

"Nothing really, just thinking of how much stronger you've become after our fight with your family," she said.

Jaune's grin grew larger as he leaned back against the wall himself.

"Well after a fight like that, I'd have to have changed at some point, right?" Jaune stated.

Pyrrha looked towards the setting sun letting out a hum in response. For a moment the two sat there basking in the natural beauty that Remnant had to offer before Jaune stood up with a sigh.

"Well, we'd better head back, Weiss will probably have our heads if we stay out for too long," said Jaune with a chuckle.

Pyrrha giggled as she stood up as well.

"Indeed, I would prefer not to be stuck trying to write another twenty page essay on the subject of staying up late," she teased.

Jaune visibly slouched at that.

"Don't remind me," moaned Jaune, "But at least you weren't yelled at for most of the time, Weiss was on my case for my handwriting for a majority of the time."

Pyrrha laughed a bit more at her leader's expense to which he simply pouted towards her as they started walking back towards the dorms. The walk was a peaceful one, to say the least, the two simply content with walking along and enjoying each other's company. There were some other students walking to and fro mostly those who were coming back after a full day in the city, but they gave the two a wide berth mostly due to who they were. The names Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos were notorious ones after all.

_Mostly due to our fight with the Arcs… I wonder how long such rumors will last._

Pyrrha sighed.

_With our luck probably for the rest of our time in Beacon._

"Something wrong Pyr?"

Pyrrha looked over at Jaune who looked over at her through the corner of his eyes. Pyrrha shook her head.

"Nothing major, just mourning the loss of any semblance of a normal life," stated Pyrrha woefully.

Jaune fully turned his head towards her with a deadpan look on his face.

"You are a four-time champion of a national tournament, darling," he bluntly stated.

Pyrrha looked back with a small glower.

"I can dream Jaune."

The two stared at one another for a little while neither of them backing down and causing any who were bearing witness to give an even wider berth to the two powerful teens. The staring contest continued for a little while more before Jaune was the first to break, a small bit of air escaping past his nose as he tried and failed to hold back a laugh. The snort caught Pyrrha by surprise causing her to release her control as well leaving the two letting out the laughter they were holding in.

"Damn it Pyr, you need to teach me how to keep a straight face like that for hours on end," joked Jaune.

Pyrrha shrugged nonchalantly at Jaune's comment.

"Well you know the old saying: 'Practice makes perfect'," said Pyrrha, "And I had _a lot_ of practice."

Jaune stuck his tongue out at Pyrrha in response. It was then that Pyrrha took in her surroundings again and found that they were right in front of the double-door entrance to the dorms. Jaune went to open the door only for it to be thrown upon roughly causing both Pyrrha and Jaune to stumble backwards. Standing there at the doorway was a familiar face, one that Pyrrha wasn't necessarily happy to see, but still tolerable.

"Xiao Long," said Pyrrha politely.

Yang seemed to jump back in surprise upon seeing Jaune and Pyrrha there before she quickly reverted back towards her usual playful persona that never failed to annoy all the member so ABSN.

"Sup hotshots, come back from another full day of training?" she asked.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at the tone the girl used. While it still had the confident tone that Yang was known for, the underlying teasing was absent, instead replaced by something else…

"Pretty much, we were just heading back to our dorm so that we can shower and get started on some work for next week," stated Jaune using his goofy persona.

Pyrrha gauged Yang's response as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other and then back again, almost as if the girl was in a hurry and they were holding her up.

"Oh, that's pretty sweet," said Yang.

Pause.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at the blonde girl. Something was definitely different about Yang; usually the girl would have thrown an unnecessary tease towards them for "spending time alone with one another". This time, however, Yang seemed to be satisfied with simply letting them go. Pyrrha looked over towards Jaune who looked back with the same incredulous look on his face. They both looked back towards Yang who rocked on her heels for a bit before laughing awkwardly.

"Y-Yeah well good talk and I'll see-."

Suddenly the other door opened, the movement startling all three of the teens at the doorway. Blake stood there with a blank expression on her face all while clutching her scroll so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Yang was immediately forgotten in favor of addressing her pale partner.

"Blake? What's wrong?" asked Jaune who had immediately approached Blake and put a hand on her shoulder.

Blake didn't look towards Jaune, nor did she speak, she instead slowly lifted up her scroll so that everyone nearby could see its interface. The scroll displayed a photo along with a message written underneath it, but Pyrrha never got to the words only staring in shock at the picture's contents. Pyrrha barely registered the flaring auras of the people around her as her own anger was starting to get the better of her at that moment. Jaune spoke, but the only words she heard were the ones she wanted to here.

"The next dust ship arrives in ten minutes, we're boarding it."

* * *

Kuro sighed as closed the scroll in his hands.

"_Well, Blake's probably received the message by now, everything's in place sis,_" he said looking over towards Shiro.

Shiro giggled from where she was, sounding very much like a child who had received what they wanted for Christmas.

"_Good~! Now all we have to do is wait!_" Shiro sang, "_We'll see just how precious these new friends are!_"

Kuro didn't answer, instead looking down at the scroll in his hands with an expressionless look on his face. Displayed on the interface was the message he had sent to Blake's scroll via the original owner's contact list. It was a picture of the Schnee heiress and her younger friend both gagged and tied up. The Schnee had her prideful glare while the younger girl looked absolutely terrified. Below the picture was a simple message: 'The White Fang says hello Neko-chan'.


	19. Memories that Never Die

**Ch. 17: Memories that Never Die**

Jaune stared out the window of the dust ship that he was on. Despite the unease in his stomach, his mind stayed focused on the task ahead, one that currently took precedence over a minor discomfort such as airsickness. He watched as the buildings of Vale went by below, somewhere in this vast city was Weiss and her captors…

"So what's the plan Jaune?"

Jaune blinked and took his glance away from the window to face the group that was standing behind him giving him their undivided attention. Pyrrha held a look of grim determination on her face no doubt wanting just as much as him to bring Weiss back safely and deal with those who dared to get in between their family. Blake had defaulted to her emotionless expression, looking more like a robot than anything else ever since she had walked out of the dorms with the message that sent them on this journey to Vale in the first place. Still, both seemed to have the right amount of willingness to find Weiss as he did so he didn't comment, his own thoughts too preoccupied with his missing teammate.

"What's the word, bossman?"

Ah yes, Jaune had almost forgotten about the other half of the search team. Jaune looked past Pyrrha and Blake to see Yang, Ren, and Nora standing there with serious looks of their own. Jaune nodded at the looks they held on their faces.

_Good. They're focused, they'll need to be if we're going to find Weiss and Ruby and bring back in one piece._

Jaune steeled his thoughts as he addressed the group as a whole. It seemed since he was technically the only team leader available at the moment, he was taking charge of this joint team.

"Alright then guys we all know what we're going to do as soon as this flying bucket touches the ground," said Jaune, his eyes flicking to each person, "But the problem is how to actually go about doing this."

Jaune then turned to look at Blake.

"Blake, the kidnappers sent a message specifically to you meaning that you must know something about them in the past," he said, "Anything you can disclose about who they are, where they might be, and why they are doing this will help greatly."

Jaune knew it was a bit cruel to put Blake on the spot like this, but he also knew that personal feelings couldn't get in the way, not in something like this, and he knew Blake knew this as well. Blake met Jaune's eyes before she closed them and took a deep breath.

"Yes, you can say that they were… past acquaintances…" Blake described vaguely before continuing on unhindered, "From what I remember, they are formidable and cunning and from the message it seems they are also affiliated with the White Fang."

Jaune nodded to Blake encouraging her to continue.

"In light of this, there are three major places where I think they would be hiding in Vale," said Blake as she walked up beside Jaune to look out towards the city.

"One likely place is the warehouse district, a good place for a vigilante group such as the White Fang to recruit more members to their cause," said Blake pointing towards the part of the city near the docks.

Jaune heard Ren make a noise of agreement.

"That would make sense, those warehouses are quite large and it has been rumored that some of the more… disreputable people hold meetings there," he said.

Jaune nodded at this information.

"The second likely place would be the market district where many faunus reside as either merchants… or thieves."

"Thieves?" asked Pyrrha.

Blake nodded.

"It's no secret that faunus are discriminated against, Vale is just a city that does a good job hiding that fact, thus those who are unfortunate have to turn towards less legal means to survive," the cat faunus explained.

"You seem to know a lot about this," Ren commented offhandedly.

Jaune saw Blake tense up for a split second before relaxing.

"Let's just say certain circumstances led to me witnessing such things first hand."

Silence pervaded the group for a moment, the only noise being the quite voices of other passengers and the low hum of the dust ship's engines.

"And?" Yang suddenly spoke up earning everyone's attention, "What's the third likely place?"

Jaune looked to Blake who stared at Yang for a while before turning her head towards the window again.

"The residential district… in the poorer sections."

Jaune nodded at this. While it was an unfortunate one, it was a fact that most residents of the poorer part of Vale were made up of faunus. Jaune looked to Blake and nodded in thanks to her before turning back to address the group as a whole.

"There you have it, we have three areas to search and not a lot of time to do it," he stated looking at the faces of each person with him once again.

He looked first at Pyrrha's angered but slightly more composed expression, then to Blake's stoic expression. He then looked towards Ren's coolly composed expression in contrast to Nora's angry and slightly excited expression. Finally he looked to Yang who had an expression of barely contained rage on her face with her eyes holding a familiar fiery red glow. Jaune closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_It's time to be a leader Jaune._

Jaune then opened his eyes.

"We will be splitting into three teams of two to cover more ground faster," he stated Ren and Nora, "Lei, Valkyrie, you two take the market district, keep an eye out for any suspicious activity and gather any information that may be useful for our search."

Ren nodded while Nora gave him a two-fingered salute. Jaune then turned to Blake, scrutinizing her for a moment. Thoughts of her attitude slowly surfaced again.

_She's hiding something, I know that for sure… but whatever it is, I can't afford to worry about it right now. I have to just believe that Blake will be able to fight through it… especially with what is at stake._

"I'll take the residential district," stated Blake suddenly before Jaune could even open his mouth.

Jaune stared at Blake who looked right back with her unreadable expression, her eyes daring him to challenge her. Jaune held the stare evenly.

"Not alone," he said, "You will need help."

Blake narrowed her eyes.

"You and Pyrrha need to stick together, you're our strongest fighters as a unit and are the best candidates to search the warehouse district, most likely the most dangerous district," she stated.

Jaune didn't blink.

"I know this," he said, "Which is why…"

Jaune then turned to Yang.

"Xiao Long, you will be going with Blake."

Jaune saw Blake turn fully towards him from the corner of his eyes.

"Jaune, you can't be-," started Blake.

Surprisingly it was Yang who cut Blake off.

"Is there a problem Belladonna?" growled Yang, walking up towards Blake her fiery gaze upon her, "I don't know what past you had with those kidnappers nor do I care, my only concern is Ruby's safety and if I have to _force_ you to work with me in order to achieve that…"

Yang left the statement on a hanging note as she leaned in towards Blake, her smoldering glare causing Jaune to actually feel a tinge of fear even while he wasn't on the receiving end of it. Blake simply stared back with her stoic expression, not showing any outward discomfort towards Yang's rather imposing attitude. Jaune sighed before he placed a hand on both girls' shoulders causing them to look towards him.

"Look, I know that tension is high right now," he said, "But we can't afford to lose our heads, not if we want to bring our friends back _alive_."

His statement seemed to strike a cord as Yang's glare gave away somewhat while Blake stared at the ground a complicated frown finally making it through her stoic mask. Jaune then looked towards the rest of the joint search party.

"We all know what is at stake here," said Jaune.

The captain made an announcement over the loudspeaker, but Jaune could barely hear it as he focused on looking towards the faces of those looking for his leadership.

"So keep level heads, watch each other's backs," said Jaune.

The dust ship lurched a bit as it came to a stop at the airlift station. Jaune stepped towards the exit with everyone falling into step behind him.

"Keep in contact via scrolls be ready to react if there is a call of distress and make sure to report to me about any findings you may have," said Jaune before he let out a small smirk, "Let's bring our people home!"

A chorus of affirmative sounds answered Jaune.

* * *

Blake stared directly ahead, her mind reeling with the recent turn of events. Of all the things that she imagined doing today, her teammate being kidnapped and then being forced to work with somebody she'd rather not even be acquainted to were _not _on the list. Blake took a moment to look over towards the girl walking beside her. Yang was currently marching forth with an intense, rather intimidating expression on her face as her red eyes glanced back forth, scanning the buildings around her no looking to return to their normal lilac color anytime soon.

_We're not even in the area we're supposed to be, idiot._

Blake didn't voice this thought out loud. She knew it would just lead to pointless arguing that nobody had time for. Blake silently cursed Jaune for putting her in this position.

_I would have been fine on my own…_

_ "But you shouldn't always have to do things on your own, Blake."_

Blake blinked as Margaret's words echoed in her head, slowly she found herself sinking into memories of a better time:

_ Margaret looked away from her task of washing dishes to smile down at Blake who looked up at her, a small frown on her face._

_ "But Margaret, I'm older now, I should be able to be… self-suufishant," exclaimed Blake._

_ Margaret let out a small giggle._

_ "While it's good to be _self-sufficient _it's also good to be able to rely on others every once in a while."_

_ Blake lowered her gaze for a moment._

_ "But what if you don't have anyone to rely on? What if you can't trust anyone?"_

_ At that moment Blake immediately heard the sink water stop running and a plate clattering as it was hastily placed down. When Blake looked backed up, she was met with Margaret's stern expression with the older woman kneeling down to be at the same eye level. Blake immediately made to look away in shame only for Margaret to take hold of her chin with her hand and firmly pull Blake's face back towards her. Blake still stubbornly looked away with her eyes._

_ "Blake. Look at me."_

_ Blake slowly looked over towards Margaret who studied Blake for a moment before she spoke in a low, but powerful voice._

_ "No matter how tough or smart you are, you will _always_ need somebody to help you at some point in your life."_

_ Margaret expression then softened as she removed her hand from Blake's chin and patted her head._

_ "Nobody can do everything on their own, so let others help every once in a while, who knows? Maybe you'll meet some lifelong friends."_

_ Blake looked towards Margaret with slightly hopeful eyes before she lowered them again._

_ "I don't think I'm making friends until much later though…"_

_ Margaret let out a mysterious giggle at that. Blake glared up at Margaret with an indignant look._

_ "That's not funny!" she whined._

_ "Oh I'm not laughing at that…" giggled Margaret before she raised her voice, "Am I? You little eavesdroppers!"_

_ Suddenly there was a loud noise at the front door causing Blake to spin around ready for an attack from behind only to stare in surprise upon seeing two kids probably only a couple months younger than her lying in a heap on the wooden floor. The kids made groans from falling over before they froze upon seeing that Margaret and Blake were staring at them._

_ "Ah…" one of them said in slight fear._

_ Blake's tension faded as she studied the kids more closely. They seemed to be related to one another if the similar pale green eyes and the identical fox ears were any indicators the only difference between the two was one was a boy with short black hair while the other was a girl with long white hair. Subconsciously Blake took a step forwards her curiosity starting to get the better of her, but as soon as she made the movement, the boy took action. _

_ The boy got up and stood in front of his sister a determined glare on his face and his arms outstretched and shouted in a language that was unfamiliar to Blake. Still the action told her that he was trying to protect his sister from harm… but upon second glance, Blake realized that the boy was terrified judging from his quivering. By this time, the sister had gotten up too and was clutching onto her brother while staring at Blake. It was then that Margaret stepped forward, her smile still on her face as she knelt down before the boy. Blake stared in amazement as Margaret started speaking the same language as the boy in a gentle voice. The effect of Margaret's voice took effect on the boy slowly as he began relax slightly, eyeing Margaret's movements. It was then that Blake continued to walk forward and it was also at that moment that the boy's tension came back ten-fold upon seeing Blake moving closer. The girl however simply continued to stare at her. Blake came to a stop beside Margaret who smiled at her._

_ "These two are twins from the orphanage nearby, they seem like they're your age, no?"_

_ Blake looked towards Margaret before looking back at the twins before she raised her hand._

_ "Hi…" she said._

_ The boy stared at her with a slight glare. While the girl seemed to grow a bit braver as she made her way around her brother still transfixed with Blake. Blake couldn't help but stare back, wondering what the girl was staring at._

_ "Neko," whispered the girl suddenly, her voice barely audible even to Blake's sharp ears._

_ Blake blinked in surprise before she cocked her head._

_ "Huh?"_

_ The girl's face suddenly broke out into a small smile before she pointed at Blake._

_ "Neko!"_

"Hey, Belladonna!"

Blake blinked suddenly finding herself back in the present. Blake looked around only to find Yang beside her with her hand on her shoulder, a slight glare adorning the blonde's features.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, you were just kind of wandering off a random direction and wouldn't answer me when I tried talking to you."

Blake blinked again. She must have just allowed her legs to subconsciously take her where they wanted to as she sank into memory lane. Blake awkwardly scratched her cheek.

"Er… thanks… for bringing me back to my senses," Blake muttered.

Yang simply grunted in response going back to surveying her surroundings. Blake joined her, looking around at the wooden houses, the familiar alleyways, the small orphanage that sat a bit in the middle… Blake's eyes widened slightly.

_No…_

Suddenly Blake's legs started moving on their own. She ignored the indignant cries of Yang as she ran. She recognized this place. The orphanage, the beaten down road, and the wooden houses… this could only mean… Blake finally came to a stop in front a modest looking wooden house; its walls were worn so many years of battling the elements. It seemed a bit neglected but it still stood somehow after all these years.

"Belladonna!"

Blake barely registered Yang running up to her as she looked towards a familiar looking wooden cross imbedded into the ground right next to the house's front entrance.

_Margaret…_

Blake's suddenly felt old emotions reemerge as she slowly made her way towards the foot of the grave, sinking to her knees when she was in front of it. The wooden cross was rather tattered due to the fact that it was simply made of several sticks tied together by a crudely knotted rope. Still, it seemed to have held together somehow… after all this time... How long has it been since Blake had visited this place? How long ago was it that Blake turned her back towards this very grave to embark on her quest for revenge? How long ago was it that she had forsaken Margaret's name in her blind rage? How long ago… did Blake lose her happiness?

"Belladonna?"

Blake had almost forgotten that she had company as she quickly shook her head to look over at Yang. The girl's eyes had finally turned back to their normal lilac as a look of concern marred Yang's features.

"Are you… okay?"

Blake stared at Yang for a while before she sighed and stood up again.

"I'm fine, Xiao Long," Blake answered curtly.

Yang stared at Blake before she looked away as if remembering something Blake took this time to look back down at the grave one last time when something caught her eyes, something that definitely wasn't there before… A flower boutique, wrapped in a simple white clothe with the flowers being white lilies. It looked so out of place next to such a run down wooden cross… but that was not what gave Blake chills… it was the fact that the flowers were new… fresh… Blake's head whipped towards the door of Margaret's old house only to see it was slightly ajar. Somebody was inside. Without a moment's hesitation, Blake sped towards the entrance and pushed the door open only to freeze at the entrance. Sitting at the center of the room were the missing members of teams ABSN and RWBY tied up and gagged. Upon seeing them, Blake felt relief, however it only lasted for a small moment as sitting just beside them was another familiar face, one that Blake did not think she would see again so soon.

* * *

How did things end up like this? Weiss thought of the events that led up to this very moment:

_Weiss and Ruby had arrived at Vale with Ruby talking amicably about her team and the trials of being a team leader with Weiss patiently listening the entire time. Weiss honestly wondered where Ruby got all this energy from, but decided against thinking upon it too hard… perhaps it is something better left unknown._

_ "Not that your little story about your mother and father isn't touching, but I'd first like to know where we are headed," stated Weiss._

_ Ruby blinked before she suddenly seemed to be aware of her surroundings causing the little reaper to turn the same color as her namesake._

_ "Ah, right! Uh… we're here to… uh…"_

_ Weiss watched in amusement as the flustered girl tried to remember why she had come to Vale in the first place. After a few moments was allowing the girl to flounder on her own, Weiss finally decided to take pity on the girl._

_ "I believe you mentioned earlier on our way towards Beacon's airlift station that you wanted to buy more ammunition for your… ahem, 'baby', as you crudely put it," stated Weiss._

_ Ruby immediately brightened up at that._

_ "Yeah! That's right! That! Totally didn't forget about that!"_

_ Ruby held a look of bravado that lasted about two seconds before the girl wilted under Weiss' stare._

_ "Okay… I forgot."_

_ Weiss rolled her eyes, while she respected the fact that Ruby had gotten into Beacon early due to her merits, she still had to wonder just how Ozpin managed to find them under all of this girl's shortcomings._

Then again who am I to judge? I've had quite a few shortcomings myself…

_Weiss shook her head and focused on the present._

_ "Come along then, we don't have all day and I want to be back in time for dinner," stated Weiss as she made her way towards the exit of the airlift station._

_ Ruby stumbled a bit in her hurry to catch up to Weiss before she finally settled into a stable pace beside the heiress. Weiss studied Ruby through the corner of her eye, this girl, despite how much her team had shunned her and her team, still went out of her way to try and connect with them in some way even if it was simple acts of kindness such as applauding her team even when others would not. Weiss silently wondered what would drive a person to do such a thing and what type of person would even think of doing such a thing._

_ Suddenly Weiss felt a chill run down her spine causing her to slow her pace and a frown to appear. For some reason Weiss had a sinking feeling that the two of them were being watched. Weiss pretended to look towards Ruby while discreetly flicking her eyes to look around behind them only to find nothing, but the feeling remained._

_ "Weiss?"_

_ Weiss looked back towards Ruby who was looking at her with a bit of concern on her face._

_ "Is everything alright?"_

_ Weiss' eyes flicked back behind them once more before the heiress sighed._

Maybe I'm being paranoid.

_Weiss let out a small smile._

_ "Nothing to worry about, I guess I'm still a bit jumpy after having to beat back several… 'adoring' fans."_

_ Ruby seemed to immediately know what Weiss was talking about as she held a look of pity._

_ "Yeah… I don't know what I'd do in your shoes, how do you even deal with it?"_

_ Weiss shrugged nonchalantly._

_ "Honestly it's something you get used to when you're a person like me."_

_ Ruby cocked her head._

_ "Someone like you?"_

_ Weiss sighed. She had forgotten that much like Jaune, Ruby had absolutely no clue who the Schnee Family was nor what they represented._

_ "Let's just say I have had to deal with this type of attention a lot in my past and leave it at that," said Weiss._

_ "Oh, okay."_

_ Ruby seemed to accept that explanation and looked back forward while humming a certain tune, most likely one of those pop songs that seemed to plague the radios of Vale. Weiss took the chance to take one last peak at behind her before shaking her head and walking forward as well only to feel a slight bit of pain at the side of her neck right after she did so._

_ "Ah?" Weiss managed to cry out only for the world to start becoming blurry._

_ She could faintly hear Ruby cry out her name. She sounded frantic. Afraid._

_ "Ru…by…" she managed to slur before her conscious left her._

When Weiss came to afterwards, she found herself and Ruby tied up and gagged in an unknown run-down house, most likely in Vale's slums if Weiss had to guess. Not that it mattered to her, what mattered was that she once again found herself being held hostage by kidnappers and all she could really do was glare defiantly at her captors even though on the inside she was feeling terrified. But she had to remain strong, not only for her own sanity, but for the younger girl that was huddled beside her, most likely terrified out of her mind. Weiss looked upon Ruby and saw herself all those years ago when she was first kidnapped by the White Fang. It pained Weiss that she had no way of comforting Ruby, no way of reassuring the girl other than glaring defiantly at the ones who had their lives in their hands.

Now? Now Weiss didn't know what to think. Just moments ago Blake arrived at the doorway to the house where Weiss and Ruby were being held prisoner and was now having a tense stare-off with the kidnappers. Weiss should have felt joy, relief at the prospect of being rescued, but at this moment, upon looking into Blake's eyes and seeing the same fear that had frozen the cat faunus in her tracks just yesterday and then the confident faces of the captors. Weiss wanted to do something, _anything_ to help, but there was one unfortunate fact that weighed down upon her like a ton of bricks: she was powerless. Thus she could only helplessly watch as one of her captors stepped forth, a wide smile on her face.

"Well, well, if it isn't our precious Neko-chan!"

* * *

Pyrrha kept her eyes vigilant, her body tense and her senses primed as she and Jaune scoured through the warehouse district. So far the search had been pretty quiet, with no other signs of life being there besides maybe a couple of rats here and there. This didn't help Pyrrha's nerves at all, however.

_It's too quite…_

Pyrrha knew Jaune agreed, judging by how tightly he gripped the handle of Crocea Mors as his ocean blue eyes flicked back and forth scanning every nook and cranny of the place.

"How are you fairing Pyrrha?" Jaune asked suddenly.

Pyrrha was caught a bit off guard by that losing focus for a moment. Pyrrha continued to scan diligently as she answered.

"I'm doing fine, Jaune," she answered as curtly as possible.

Jaune let out a small chuckle.

"No need to hide it from me, partner, I'm in the same situation you are in," he said, "This silence is really doing a number on my sanity."

Pyrrha couldn't help but agree with that statement as her fingers began to itch for Milo, her mind screaming at her to have her weapons drawn, to expect the worst-case scenario. Something about the warehouse district just didn't sit right with her, especially now that it was night and most of the workers here had gone home by this time.

"But seriously, how are you fairing?" asked Jaune with a serious tone.

Pyrrha blinked, while not looking at Jaune a look of confusion settled upon her face before she finally realized what Jaune was talking about. Pyrrha let out a huff of irritation.

"I hardly think now's a good time to be thinking about such things, Jaune," she grunted.

"Maybe…" muttered Jaune, "Or maybe it has everything to do with the situation we are in."

Pyrrha, against her better judgment, turned towards Jaune.

"What do you mean?"

Jaune's expression didn't change as he spoke his next words.

"Call it a hunch, but don't you find it weird that members of the White Fang seem to know Blake so intimately? Or at least used to?"

Pyrrha had thought about it… quite a long time ago actually.

"Yes…" Pyrrha said with a sigh, "I have for a while."

Jaune sighed himself as his eyes continued to flick around the area.

"Even after we find Weiss, our troubles probably won't end there… not with this hanging over our heads."

Pyrrha bit her bottom lip. Jaune was right; things couldn't go on like this, especially after Weiss was caught in the crossfire…

_We can no longer be patient with Blake…_

Pyrrha took a deep breath and steeled her nerves before turning towards Jaune.

"But we can't really afford to worry about that now, can we?" she stated.

Jaune allowed bitter smile to appear on his face at the statement.

"Yeah… one thing at a time…" he muttered before his eyes flicked over to Pyrrha, "You still haven't answered my question."

Pyrrha looked over at Jaune's rather cold stare, knowing that he was dealing with the same inner turmoil as her. Pyrrha closed her eyes for a moment to collect her thoughts.

"I thought you already had a good idea," Pyrrha deflected.

"And I want to hear the verbal answer from your mouth," the blonde survivalist retorted.

Pyrrha let out an annoyed huff.

"I'll live," she grumbled, "Yes it bothers me, but I'm no worse for it."

"Glad to know you actual thoughts Ms. Nikos."

Pyrrha stared at Jaune once again who simply smirked cheekily back at her. It was then Pyrrha realized that she had been had and with that knowledge Pyrrha glowered at her annoyingly perceptive leader.

_Why you cheeky son of a-_

Suddenly Pyrrha felt the presence of another person. A powerful one, almost overbearingly so… from behind them. Pyrrha and Jaune spun around to see two men standing there. One was dressed in black tights with white armor padding and a white hockey mask, holding what looked like chainsaw over his shoulder. The other was dressed in black combat pants a matching black button-up shirt wearing white mask with red marks all over resembling a Grimm mask. The man in all black held what looked to be armed with a sword that sat at his hip. Pyrrha immediately took out Milo and Akouo and she heard Jaune do the same with Ira.

"So, you I see that you know an old… acquaintance of mine," stated the man with the Grimm mask.

"Yeah? And who are you?" asked Jaune nonchalantly.

The man stared at Jaune before he spoke again.

"I suppose you are not one for news, otherwise you would know who I am by now…" the man then turned towards Pyrrha, "But I believe you do… Four-time Mistral Champion Pyrrha Nikos."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes.

"I supposed I would, Adam Taurus."


	20. Black and White

**Ch. 18: Black and White**

Jaune scrutinized the man before them. He wasn't so daft that he didn't actually know who Adam Taurus was. It wasn't only Grimm that he had run into during his travels as he had to deal with bandits and also had quite a few run-ins with the White Fang. Most of the time he avoided conflict if he could help it, but he also managed to gather information from their conversations, the fact that Adam Taurus was the leader of the White Fang in Vale was one such piece of information. Not that Jaune was ready to reveal that fact to Adam anytime soon.

"Ah… so you're the poster boy for everything terrorist related…" said Jaune as he notched Ira.

Outwards he appeared to be nonchalant, but internally his mind was racing as he stretched his senses to their limits trying to perceive any other threats than just the one in front of him he was sure his partner was doing the same. There was also the fact that Adam seemed to be exuding a pressure that rivaled that of Julius Arc, a man who was an ass sure but also powerful in his own right. Meanwhile it seemed that his comment had an effect on the burly man beside Adam as he let out a feral growl, his grip on the chainsaw visibly tightening.

"You will speak to our leader with respect, filthy human!" growled the man.

Jaune pointedly ignored him as he kept his sight upon Adam.

"So… Adam was it?" asked Jaune flashing a cheeky grin, "What brings you to this neck of the woods? I would have thought someone as high and mighty as you would never dream of hanging around a place like this."

Another growl escaped from Adam's companion.

_Woops, looks like big and burly didn't like that comment either._

If Adam was offended at all by Jaune's comment, he didn't show it, his expression completely stoic and his Grimm mask hiding his eyes.

"I would ask you the same thing, Jaune Arc, former scion of the Arc Family," stated Adam.

Jaune flinched slightly at the mention of his former family.

_Ouch, he got me there, but why does he know that information?_

"You're certainly well informed Adam, but I really must ask, what could the leader of an entire branch of the White Fang want that he needs to know the information of a few huntsmen-in-training?" asked Pyrrha apparently thinking the same as Jaune.

Adam stared at Pyrrha for a moment, before the man let out a cold chuckle, the first bit of actual emotion that Jaune saw from the man despite it being only a slight change.

"It is hard not to hear about the antics of the prodigal first-year team known as team ABSN. Your team is practically the talk of the town, it is hard _not _to know such information."

Jaune barely kept himself from slapping his hand on his forehead.

_I forgot that there was a rumor mill going around about us… damn it I blame both Julius and Ozpin for this._

Jaune shook his head of such thoughts.

_Enough, it's time to focus._

"Well unwanted fame aside," said Jaune, "I do wonder why you decided that we were worth visiting, especially since I would have thought the great leader of the White Fang would have better things to do."

Jaune took the time to steal a glance at his partner knowing she would probably be pretty antsy by now. Jaune shook his head when he saw Pyrrha with an intense look of anticipation on her face, excitement barely being concealed as she stared at the opponent before them.

_Really… sometimes I wonder what would have happened if you weren't as well mannered._

Suddenly he heard another of Adam's chuckles causing Jaune to turn back towards the man.

"I was hoping for all four of you to be here, but you will do as hostages…" stated Adam, "After all, I'm sure she can't resist the cry for help from her oh so precious friends."

Jaune blinked.

"All four of us?" he asked automatically.

Adam looked at Jaune.

"Oh? Am I wrong to assume that you were a close-knit team?"

Jaune quickly composed himself with a grin.

"Hah, we don't do _everything_ together, you should realize that some people just need space sometimes!"

Jaune shared a subtle look with Pyrrha who held the same amount of urgency and confusion in her eyes. Adam had said "all four", which means he assumed that all four of them were still together… Which meant that Adam, the _Leader of the White Fang _had no idea that Weiss had been kidnapped.

_ What the hell?_

Jaune felt himself mentally reeling.

_Then who took Weiss? And why did they reveal themselves as the White Fang?_

Jaune had many questions and absolutely no answers to satisfy them.

_But now is not the time to try and think about this._

Jaune stared at the man ahead of them as he seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"Well," said Adam, "I do believe this conversation has gone on long enough."

Adam took a step forward holding out his hand as if offering to help someone up.

"I give you this one chance to come quietly so that you will not be harmed," he stated.

Jaune stared at Adam for a few seconds before he looked towards Pyrrha who seemed to be on the same wavelength as him. Both burst into laughter. This situation was just too much for Jaune to handle, thus he couldn't help but laugh at it.

_First Weiss gets kidnapped by people who claimed to be the White Fang, then we run into Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang, then we find out that he had nothing to do with the kidnapping, and now he wants us to _surrender?!

Jaune wiped a tear from his eye as he looked towards Adam again who still held his position, although his expression seemed stiffer than before, likely not liking that he was being laughed at. Jaune lifted his hands up disarmingly.

"Sorry," said Jaune unapologetically between laughs, "Just this entire conversation is just too much!"

Adam visibly seemed to twitch at this. Jaune took a deep breath and smirked at the White Fang leader.

"If you really think that we'd just surrender like that, then you _clearly_ haven't been doing your homework very well," said Jaune.

Jaune looked towards Pyrrha who slowly allowed her eerie smile to appear on her face. Jaune allowed a smirk of his own before he closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. It was then that Jaune's senses seemed to sharpen as he opened his eyes again, his entire being full of focus.

"Now then Adam," said Jaune, "Shall we begin?"

* * *

Blake felt rooted where she stood, the world around her seemingly coming to a halt as she stared at the scene before her. Here she finally was, standing in a familiar setting that she had only known during her childhood days. To the left, the small kitchen in all its glory, old wooden cabinets lining the walls above the counter top with the old gas stove and the sink lined up near it. To the right, the living area complete with a single beaten up couch, an old television set sitting on top of a coffee table, and a light fixture hanging from the ceiling. Then at the opposite side of the room sat the dining room table with the chairs still pulled back waiting for the residents to take their seats as they always had… Had the situation been different, Blake may have collapsed due to the sheer emotion that each sight and smell caused, but unfortunately, she wasn't alone.

"Well, well, if it isn't our precious Neko-chan!" purred Shiro as she leaned against the back of the couch, her grin apparent on her face, "And here we thought you'd never come!"

Blake stared at Shiro for a while as she felt her body tense up just as it had the first time she crossed paths with the twins. The confused emotions. The memories. They all came back.

"S-Shiro…" she managed to whisper.

Shiro's ears flicked at Blake's voice as her smile grew wider.

"_Hai! _That's me! I'm so happy that you remember my name!"

Blake stared at Shiro's face, her smile… it wasn't the smile that she grew up with.

"Still wearing that accursed bow I see?"

Blake looked to Kuro, who stood leaning against the stove with his arms crossed, his eyes never leaving Blake for a moment with a scowl on his face. That scowl… was far cry from the look of pure determination that Blake always looked forward to when she was younger...

"…Kuro..." Blake muttered.

Kuro continued to stare, but he nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

"Belladonna! What's going-?!"

Blake barely registered Yang's voice or the hand that landed on her shoulder, her eyes completely focused on the twins before her. The twins, however, took notice immediately judging form the look of disdain on Kuro's face and the sigh that Shiro emitted.

"_Mataku, _and here I thought we'd have a private reunion, but it seems that you've brought a stranger here," stated Shiro, "I wonder what Margaret-_chan_ would have thought about this?"

Blake felt Yang tense up beside her.

"Yeah? You have a problem with that, Smiley?" growled Yang.

Shiro sniffed in amusement before she pushed off the couch she was sitting on.

"Now, now, let's not do anything rash… after all we're in the presence of more company~," sang Shiro as she moved towards the dining room table and settled down in the area in front of it where Weiss and Ruby were tied up.

Blake saw Yang move forward.

"Ruby!"

The sound of metal whistling through the air caused Yang to immediately pause. One moment Shiro was calmly sitting beside Ruby and Weiss, then next, Shiro had Ruby in her grasp, a familiar silver _wakizashi_ being held up to the young prodigy's neck.

"I must say you are fairly slow on the draw, _ningen_."

Blake didn't even need to look over too see Yang's look of fury; she already felt the heat of her semblance radiating like a miniature sun.

"You should put a leash on your… friend, Blake," stated Shiro, her grin never leaving her face, "Wouldn't want Margaret's memory to be tainted by this filth now would you?"

Yang let out a feral growl causing Shiro to let out a chilling giggle.

"And they call usthe animals?" she mockingly asked.

Suddenly Shiro shifted her weight swiftly, her blade never moving from Ruby's neck as Shiro moved her body to the other side of Ruby's. Weiss, who had attempted to tackle the faunus, ended up falling down beside Ruby, unable to get back up due to having her limbs tied up.

"_Yare, yare, _I certainly admire your spirit, Schnee," stated Shiro, smiling down at Weiss who simply glared defiantly back.

Weiss' act of defiance caused life to return to Blake's limbs as she stepped forward.

"Let them go, Shiro," said Blake firmly.

Shiro slowly looked towards Blake, her smile slightly ebbing.

"Oh? So you _can _speak."

Blake wasn't deterred by the insult, she had an objective to fulfill, and she'd be damned if she was going to fail it. Blake reached for Gambol Shroud on her back as she glared at her target. Her mind, however was reeling at the situation before her. This was currently a hostage situation, and the only way she was taught to deal with this situation was Adam's way…

_"If a cowardly human tries to use our brethren as a shield, pay it no heed and stay the course, casualties inevitable in times of war."_

Blake grit her teeth trying to weigh her options until suddenly she felt it, a large amount of killing intent.

_The right!_

Blake immediately grabbed a hold of Yang and yanked her backwards from the doorway, causing the blonde to fall into a backwards roll while Blake executed a backflip just in time to avoid being skewered by a black _naginata_. Kuro clicked his tongue as he straightened up, propping the spear up on his shoulder as he glared at Blake. Blake glared back in kind even as Yang moved into a sitting position rubbing her head.

"Try warning me next time, would ya?" growled Yang.

Blake didn't even bother giving the idiotic question with a response, her focus entirely on their attacker. Shiro then appeared behind her brother, her smile still present.

"Out here will serve as a good battlefield don't you think?" said Shiro with a giggle.

Yang stepped up in front of Blake slamming her fists together.

"You won't be doing very much talking when I'm done with you!" roared Yang as she made to charge forward.

Before Blake could open her mouth to warn Yang, the blonde was suddenly flying backwards, slamming through the walls of the orphanage behind them. Kuro, the cause of Yang's involuntary flight, stood there with an eerie green glow surrounded his body. Kuro took a glance at Blake before he made towards where he sent Yang flying. Blake made to intercept him only to be stopped short by a silver blade being aimed directly at her neck. Luckily Blake's reflexes were still just as polished as they were during her time in the White Fang as she managed to draw Gambol Shroud from her back to block the incoming strike.

"Now, now Neko-chan, you're looking the wrong way~."

Blake's narrowed at the crazed green orbs of her opponent.

"The only person you should be paying attention to is me!" exclaimed Shiro her smile becoming full on sadistic.

* * *

Weiss lay on the cold wood floor where she was left, the interior of the house becoming ominously quiet with the absence of the other temporary residents. The silence was only disrupted by the muffled, distant sounds of battle outside. Finally, Weiss allowed herself to move again with a muffled sigh.

_Well, this isn't how I was expecting this to go, but I'll take it._

Weiss tucked her legs in and rocked on her back to get some momentum before throwing her legs forward, throwing her into an upright position.

_Now then, time to get to work._

Weiss calmly fiddled with the sharp object in her right hand, blindly pointing the sharp end into the rope that bound them. Eventually the ropes were cut allowing Weiss to bring her arms from behind her back and stare at the object that was in her hand: a small knife, no bigger than Weiss' pinky.

_Well, honestly I expected this from a girl like that._

Weiss shook her head and looked over towards Ruby, who still looked rather shaken about the whole ordeal causing Weiss' eyes to soften. Of all the things the girl had expected to happen today, she probably wasn't expecting knife to the throat. Weiss quickly make short work of the bindings on legs before throwing off the gag around her mouth before moving to Ruby. Weiss made to cut her bindings but immediately paused to consider the situation.

_Ruby was just threatened at knifepoint and is probably in shock because of it, I don't think approaching her with another pointy object will do her much service._

With that in mind, Weiss put the knife down, within reach, but not visible to the silver-eyed prodigy. Weiss then cautiously approached the girl.

"Ruby?" she whispered softly.

No answer was emitted from the smaller girl who still stared at the ground, her eyes wide and her breathing uneven. Weiss narrowed her eyes at this.

_Definitely shock._

Weiss slowly put her hands on both of Ruby's shoulders and lightly shook her.

"Ruby," she stated firmly.

Still no response.

_Only one thing to do then… sorry Ruby._

With that, Weiss lifted a hand before whipping it down across Ruby's face, a loud slap tearing through the otherwise silent room. The sudden jolt of pain seemed to bring life back to the young prodigy's eyes as the younger girl blinked rapidly, her eyes watering a bit due to the pain.

"Oommph!" said Ruby through her gag.

Weiss sighed in relief to see Ruby a bit more responsive than before quickly removing Ruby's gag and allowing the girl to speak.

"Weiss? What's going on? How did you get out? Where are the kidnappers?"

Weiss ignored Ruby's questions, taking the girl's face in her hands and bringing her face close to Ruby's.

"Ruby, I need you to focus."

That seemed to shut Ruby up immediately as she stared at Weiss with wide and slightly scared eyes.

_Understandably so._

"Right now your sister and my partner are taking the fight to the kidnappers and giving us some time, we don't have time to lose."

This seemed to bring the leader back to the forefront as the silver eyes that stared back at Weiss seemed to harden a bit more.

"R-Right, but first I need to get out of these bindings," said Ruby motioning towards her bound appendages with her head.

Weiss took a breath before moving to reach for the tiny blade once more.

"I actually have a solution for that," said Weiss presenting the blade with an open palm eyeing the young girl's reaction.

Ruby seemed to balk a bit at the sight of the silver blade, but immediately seemed to compose herself.

"W-Wow, how'd you managed to nab that?" asked Ruby.

Weiss smiled at Ruby.

"It wasn't easy let me tell you, but let's just say that it's owner won't be missing it."

_Especially since the said owner still has about a few dozen more in store from what I've managed to see._

Ruby didn't need to know that right now, though. Weiss moved behind Ruby to start cutting through Ruby's bindings. As Weiss worked, Ruby suddenly started speaking again.

"Hey Weiss… can I ask you something?"

Weiss didn't look up from her work, not wanting to cut Ruby by accident due to her not paying attention.

"What is it Ruby?" asked Weiss as she managed to finally free Ruby's hands and moving towards Ruby's legs.

"Have you… been in this type of situation before?"

Weiss froze before slowly looking up towards Ruby, the younger girl's eyes probing Weiss' own. In that moment it was almost as if the roles were reversed, Ruby as the calm one and Weiss as the emotionally unstable one. For a moment, Weiss' memories took control, feeding her images of the inside of the van, the sneering faces of her captors and the torture room. She remembered the feeling of rope tightly pinning her arms to her sides and the duct tape that was placed over her mouth and the emotional trauma she went through at such a young age… Then just like that, Weiss regained control, pushing it all to the back of her mind and taking a calming breath, closing her eyes through the process.

_In through the mouth… out through the nose._

Weiss opened her eyes again, putting up a calm front.

"Yes," Weiss answered simply as she continued to work on the rope holding Ruby's ankles together.

"Is that why you were able to stay so calm throughout that entire time being captive?"

Weiss thought about the question for a moment.

"I suppose it may have helped partially, but that isn't the full reason," stated Weiss.

Finally cutting through the rope again, Weiss tossed the knife away before helping Ruby to her feet, the young girl holding a curious gaze upon her, silently pressing for an answer. This caused an amused smile to appear on Weiss' face.

"Most of it was because of resolve and trust," stated Weiss vaguely.

_My resolve to be stronger than the girl that I once was, and my trust in my team to come to my aid in my time of need._

Ruby didn't seem to get the memo as she still looked a bit unsatisfied with Weiss' answer. Weiss let out a slight chuckle putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Don't worry too much about it," she said, now c'mon, we should get out of her before-, ah!"

Weiss yelped in surprise as her center of gravity suddenly shifted. Luckily she managed to catch herself by grabbing onto the back of the couch nearby.

_ What was that?_

Weiss looked down and saw that the culprit for her near fall was a loose wooden plank on the floor shifting when she stepped on it.

_Well, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised given that this placed seemed to be abandoned a while ag-_

Weiss' thoughts were cut short when something else caught her eye, something beneath the plank.

"Weiss! Are you okay?" asked Ruby.

Weiss didn't say anything, continuing to stare at the object underneath.

"This…" whispered Weiss in astonishment.

* * *

Pyrrha was tensed up and ready for battle after Jaune's challenge and it seemed that Adam would rise to it, his hand reaching for his sword only to pause when the burly man next to him put a hand on his shoulder, whispering something to him. Whatever it was, it caused Adam to freeze before lowing his hand from his sword.

"As much as fighting the famous 'Monsters of Beacon' intrigues me, something else of greater importance requires my attention," stated Adam as he turned away.

Pyrrha let out a growl of frustration. There was no way she was letting such enticing prey get away so easily. Beside her, Jaune seemed to hold the same thoughts.

"And what makes you think we'd just let you walk away?" asked Jaune.

Adam simply lifted a hand and Pyrrha immediately made aware of several other White Fang members encircling them.

_So they finally show their faces…_

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at Adam as he turned his head slightly to look at them over his shoulder.

"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice," stated Adam before looking towards the burly man and nodding to him before continuing to walk away.

Pyrrha stood back to back with her partner as she eyed the opponents around her, all with a variety of different weapons, ranged and melee and from the way they stood, no one person was really a pushover.

_This may be a bit difficult… good._

"Well… this is turning out to be quite a pain, eh partner?" called Jaune behind his back.

Pyrrha let out a small laugh.

"Well, that's what makes things so much more fun, don't you agree?" she asked her feral grin growing wider when she saw a few of the faunus in front of her take an involuntary step back.

Pyrrha thought of something Jaune had said before during one of their morning workouts.

_"Intimidation 101: laugh in the face of danger… or something like that anyway."_

It seemed that her leader was right in that regard. Pyrrha prepared herself for the interesting battle ahead of her. The burly man stepped forward, still finding it in himself to be confident.

_Fool._

"Give up now, you are clearly outnumbered," the man growled.

_Coward._

"True," said Jaune, "And you are clearly outmatched."

Pyrrha could practically hear Jaune's smile as he said that.

"Now if you wouldn't mind, my partner and I are in a bit of a rush, so let's get this show on the road."

The statement was immediately followed by the familiar sound of Ira, sending an arrow at the unfortunate target.

**TH**WANG!

Pyrrha immediately rocketed towards her foes eager for a good fight.

* * *

Adam continued to walk towards his destination while staring down at the scroll in his hand. On its display was a map of the city of Vale, procured illegally by one of the White Fangs best hackers. That map showed a grid of the entire street system of the city and one particular spot blinked red. Slowly a small, almost unnoticeable smirk made its way onto Adam's face.

"I finally found you… and you are not getting away from me this time."


	21. The Past Comes Knocking

**To the Wonderful Reader,**

**Before this chapter begins, I would first like to profusely apologize for how late this update was released. Due to elements beyond my control I was unable to focus on writing and thus ended up neglecting this work and you, the audience; a shameful act indeed. Fortunately everything seems to be stable now and thus I can continue with what I love doing. However, my involuntary hiatus also brought me to a realization: that I was starting to burn out after focusing on one story for so long. Thinking back I had ended up running into nasty cases of writer's block more and more frequently as time went on and with each chapter I ended up redoing my outline for this story over and over again. It was exhausting. Thus I must announce that I will be slowing down on my releases of this story. I know, I know, it may not be a popular choice with most, but I feel that this is the best way for me to be able to release well written and well thought-out content. What I plan to do instead is alternate between three different stories, including Four ABSN Souls so that I can have more diversity. (The poll above is directly connected to this.) Hopefully as I continue with this system of writing, I will be able to write more frequently. For now, I must thank all those who decided to stick around for the next update despite its lateness and thank any new readers for reading all the way through to this point. Thank you to those who decided to read this entire note in the first place instead of skipping it! And I hope that you will all continue to join me on this adventure as well as the other adventures I am undertaking!**

**Happy Reading!**

**BloodAvenger42**

**P.S. Thank you to all those who already voted in the poll, it will be a great help to know what people want to see next. The poll will be up until July 8th, the scheduled release date of the chapter for the other RWBY story that I'm working starring Pyrrha: Never Fight Alone.**

* * *

**Ch. 19 Part 1: The Past Comes Knocking**

"Look out!"

"To your left!"

"No! _Your _left!"

"What the hell are they?!"

"I'm gonna die!"

"AAAH!"

Jaune huffed as he bashed another White Fang member across the head with the pommel of Crocea Mors.

_Honestly… these guys are so dramatic._

Jaune lazily looked over towards his partner only to see her tearing through the enemy with precision and grace. It would have looked almost beautiful… if not for the slightly off smile on the girl's face as she fought. Jaune shook his head at the scene.

_No wonder they think she's a demon, don't know why they think _I _am though…_

Jaune looked thoughtful for a moment before nonchalantly shrugging while blocking an incoming attack from behind.

"Now, now, that's not very nice," stated Jaune before he pushed the assailant off.

The faunus stumbled for a bit before he regained his bearings and let out a growl, two of his friends running up to fight beside him. Jaune sighed heavily.

"Well alright then, let's make this quick," he said with a bored tone.

This did the job as the three faunus attacked at once only to fall seconds later in a heap with Jaune standing behind them picking at his ear.

"Now that that's over with, I wonder what Pyrrha has gone through?" Jaune wondered aloud.

"AAAAH!"

Jaune raised a brow and looked over at the source of the noise only to see it was a White Fang member screaming in terror as he ran with several of his friends right behind him. Not too far away was Pyrrha, her smile still on her face walking in a calmer pace after them.

"Stay away! Stay away!"

"Monster!"

"I don't wanna die!"

_… Like I said… dramatic._

Jaune looked away from the scene to stare at the general direction of the slums… where Blake and Yang were. He couldn't help the funny feeling in his gut that told him something bad was going to happen, but not to him and Pyrrha, rather his wayward teammates. He tightened a fist as his eyes narrowed.

_Be careful Blake… I don't know what you went through in your past, but don't let it effect you._

Jaune let out a rueful smirk at that.

"Tch, look at me trying to project my thoughts as if anyone can hear them…"

With that, Jaune activated his semblance, reappearing before the fleeing faunus causing them to stop in their tracks. Jaune smirked at the scared faunus before him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

The White Fang members seemed too scared to even let out a peep as they stared at Jaune with terrified eyes. Jaune rested Crocea Mors on his shoulder as he addressed his audience once again.

"So while I'm in a fairly bad mood, I'll be a bit generous to you all and give you a choice."

Jaune pointed Crocea Mors at the faunus at the forefront, a deer faunus judging from the antlers.

"I can be the one to end your suffering right here and now..." he said causing the group to shiver in fear.

Jaune then lowered his sword and looked over their shoulders.

"Or…"

The sight that he saw was both objectively hilarious and terrifying, as Pyrrha was continuing in her leisurely pace nonchalantly bludgeoning any White Fang operatives who tried to attack with Akouo, while Milo remained in its sword form pointed at the ground. The entire time her eyes had never left the group that Jaune had stopped. The said group must have seen what Jaune saw as they started to let out terrified shouts, of course they also seemed to remember that Jaune was still blocking off their only means of escape. Jaune cleared his throat loudly causing the group to reluctantly take their eyes off the crimson-haired demon to stare at Jaune.

"Now make your choice," said Jaune with a slight smirk, "And choose wisely~."

* * *

Blake grunted as her back slammed into a wall behind her before she swiftly ducked and rolled away, jumping back onto her feet to face her assailant. Shiro let out a gleeful giggle as she immediately took the blade out of the wall and sliced horizontally at Blake's neck forcing the cat faunus to jump backwards from harm's way.

"Not bad, Neko-chan!" said Shiro, "But you aren't going to be able to run away from me forever!"

Blake gritted her teeth as her hand gripped Gambol Shroud tighter. Shiro's words hung true, Blake had no chance of winning with this strategy. True she could try to tire the other girl out, but judging from the confident smirk on the other girl's face, that was not likely to happen soon. Shiro cocked her head at Blake as the thoughts ran through her head.

"_Yare, yare_ Neko-chan, you really ought to pay attention!"

With that Shiro threw her right arm straight up, however Blake didn't watch the appendage all the way up, as a flash of light caught her attention. Instinctively leaning right just in time for a tiny blade to fly by, barely leaving a small cut on Blake's cheek before continuing its flight down the street. Blake winced at the stinging sensation that the cut created, but she quickly ignored it in favor of keeping her focus on the dangerous opponent before her.

Blake's options were fairly bleak already, judging from the small tidbits she managed to pick up about her surroundings through the corner of her eyes, the two were no fighting right next to the orphanage that Yang was sent plowing into by Kuro. The two were undoubtedly still fighting in there, but Blake couldn't really worry herself about that now. Blake narrowed her eyes at Shiro.

_I don't know how long I can last in an open field… but if I was in an enclosed area it would be even worse, especially since I have no idea what her capabilities are…_

_ "Tee-hee! I'm capable of pretty much anything Neko-chan!"_

Blake blinked as an image flashed in her mind of a younger Shiro, smiling innocently at her. The image was short-lived, however as Blake was forced to avoid yet another slice from Shiro only the fox faunus wasn't laughing anymore, in fact a feral growl escaped the girl's lips as her pale green eyes glared balefully into Blake's own golden orbs.

"I said that you should be paying attention to _me_ Ne-ko-cha-n," Shiro said in a low, but powerful voice, emphasizing every syllable of Blake's nickname.

Blake gritted her teeth before she charged forth to carry out her own offensive, brandishing Gambol Shroud with the blade on her dominant hand extended behind her while her sheath blade was held in a reverse grip in front of her. This caused a gleeful smile to appear on Shiro's face.

"That's the spirit!" Shiro sang.

As soon as Blake reached Shiro, she immediately rammed her sheath blade into Shiro's own in order to inhibit retaliation before spinning at that moment. Just as she thought, Shiro's blades started moving with her own as friction began its work. Seeing this, Blake spun around, taking her eyes off her opponent for a few precious seconds as she brought her sword to bear in her dominant hand in order to slice at Shiro's unprotected neck.

TING!

Or so Blake had believed only to be shocked upon seeing Shiro's silver blades blocking the oncoming strike. Blake's eyes widened a tad before she immediately pushed off the blades to gain distance from Shiro, prepared to get on the defensive, but Shiro didn't seem to be in any rush to chase her simply smiling her fox-like smile. Blake took the time to assess how Shiro could have gotten the better of her and immediately saw how when she spotted two silver glints on the ground by Shiro's feet.

"That's right, Neko-chan~," sang Shiro, seeing where Blake's eyes were, "You'll have to do better then that if you want to cut me!"

Blake growled under her breath in frustration as she brought her blades to bear once again, this time charging with a different tactic in mind. Shiro stared at Blake in slight disappointment.

"You're going to try that again?"

Blake simply narrowed her eyes in response before she made to slice at Shiro's torso, purposely leaving an opening. One that Shiro took as she sliced at Blake's head with one blade while making to block the strike with her other blade. Blake immediately activated her semblance before ducking down under the strike at her head, leaving a clone in her place. Blake then made to slice at Shiro's now unprotected side, only for Shiro to meet her halfway once again and this time follow up with a kick right into Blake's cheek. Blake saw stars as she was sent tumbling down the dirty road. Fortunately, instincts kicked in as her body automatically righted itself facing the assailant although the throbbing in Blake's head wasn't going way. Shiro let out a sigh.

"Tsk, tsk, you've become far too predictable after you left the Fang," said Shiro in mock-sadness, "And here I was hoping for at least a _good _fight…"

Shiro's face them morphed into a glare as she stared at Blake.

"But honestly, more than disappointed, I'm angry."

Blake glared back as she stood back up, ignoring the protests in her head, the pain making itself apparent with every move she made.

"I'm angry because throughout this entire little… _scuffle_," said Shiro lowing her head so that her hair shadowed her eyes, "You had the _gall _to hold back?!"

Blake froze at that statement.

_I was… holding back?_

Taking notice in Blake's demeanor, Shiro's expression turned even angrier.

"Worse still you didn't even realize it."

Blake felt her hands shaking as she gripped onto Gambol Shroud.

_No… you're wrong._

Blake lowered her gaze a bit.

"I was fully aware…" muttered Blake, unintentionally voicing her thoughts.

"Oh you were? Well now you're just being naughty Neko-chan!" giggled Shiro, suddenly back to being happy.

Blake quickly ducked under that throwing knives that followed the gleeful statement before she morphed Gambol Shroud into pistol/knife form as she charged forth once again. This time, however, Shiro charged forth as well, the two met in the middle with their blades scraping against one another causing sparks to fly. Following the initial clash was a dance of blades as Shiro's dual blades sang in tandem with Gambol Shroud for a while it seemed that neither side was going to back down only for Blake to activate her semblance again only this time using her tangible clone to block all strikes as Blake came around from behind Shiro, Gambol Shroud's gun barrel pointed right at Shiro's head. All that was left was to pull the trigger…

_"I'm going to be as good as you one day Neko-chan! Just you watch!"_

Blake's eyes widened a fraction as her finger hesitated to pull the trigger, giving the seconds that Shiro needed to react by throwing her leg out and slamming Blake right in the stomach throwing off Blake's aim. Blake found herself rolling on the ground once again, coming to a stop on her back as she clutched her stomach. With a groan, Blake painfully rolled over so that she could get onto her hands and knees only for a blow to the side to send her tumbling back to the ground. Blake looked up from the ground as Shiro, who was angry once again.

"And there you go, holding back once again," growled Shiro, "How insulting."

Blake tried to get up again only for Shiro to kick her once again, sending Blake's face back into the dirt with a groan.

"You have grown soft Neko-chan," said Shiro, "You were the pinnacle of what every member of the White Fang strove to be and now look at you."

Blake gritted her teeth at she glared up at Shiro.

"You… don't know… anything," Blake managed to rasp out.

Shiro cocked her head, her grin returning.

"Don't I? I seem to recall it was you who slaughtered hundreds of humans for what they did to Margaret," said Shiro as she looked to the side as if reminiscing, "And oh what a wonderful sight it was, you fighting with such grace… and power."

Shiro's grin widened, her eyes also widening with excitement.

"I remember thinking… 'I want to be as strong as her'," said Shiro, "And so I trained, suffered, and struggled for many years hoping that one day I can fight at your side as an equal."

Shiro looked back down at Blake, her smile slowly morphing back into a glare.

"But when I finally managed to reach an acceptable level, you had left the Fang and so I searched, for you, scoured all of Remnant to find you so that I may show you the fruits of my labor…" Shiro then motioned to Blake's prone form before her, "And I find _this…_ nothing but a shell of what you once were."

Suddenly Shiro started to tremble a bit and Blake's eyes widened at the sight of a tear falling from Shiro's eyes.

"You were my ideal… you were everything that I looked forward to in life," Shiro whispered, "So when you left, it was the most painful feeling in my life… and now you add insult to injury with this?!"

Once again Shiro was full on angry.

"_Baka! Baka! BAAAAAKAAAAA!"_

Suddenly a body flew past Shiro and landed in a heap right next to Blake's own prone form. Blake heard a familiar groan and she looked to confirm that it was indeed Yang lying beside her, utterly defeated. Blake looked back over to see Kuro walking up beside Shiro, putting a hand on her shoulder. This simple gesture seemed to calm his sister down somewhat as the girl let out a deep sigh before wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Oh, Kuro… my dear brother who will never leave me with a broken heart like my cruel Neko-chan did."

Kuro simply nodded to his sister before looking back at Blake with an unreadable expression on his face. Shiro turned to face Blake as well, her smile back in place.

"Oh well~! Let's let bygones be bygones for the past doesn't control us, yes?" asked Shiro walking up to Blake as she twirled her blade in her hand.

Blake tried to move, but her injuries were starting to get the better of her as her attempts only ended with her falling back onto the ground. Shiro simply forced Blake onto her back with her foot before pressing the weight of it down on Blake's chest, rending the cat faunus helpless in her current state. Shiro stared down at Blake for a moment.

"You know Neko-chan, I always wondered why you left," Shiro said, "It's a question that has been haunting me for a while now…"

Blake simply stared back at Shiro feeling any strength she might have had leave her at that statement.

"So may I ask… why?" asked Shiro with a genuinely curious expression on her face.

For a moment Blake saw a younger Shiro, her ears twitching ever once in a while as she stared on with those large, sparkling green eyes whenever there was something she wanted to know. Blake couldn't help herself as she allowed a small smile to appear on her face.

"You… wouldn't understand… even if I told you."

Shiro blinked before her chilling grin came back.

"I suppose you're right… oh well!" she said, "It's time to go nighty night then Neko-chan! Tell Margaret-san I said hi!"

Blake simply watched as the silver blade in Shiro's hand was reared back, preparing to skewer Blake right in the face.

_So this is how I die?_

Blake let out a soft snort.

_Fitting for someone like me… who murdered hundreds only to run away when things looked bleak and even abandon the only family I had left… _

Blake's eyes started to water as the faces of her teammates… the people who had brought joy back to her life.

_I'm sorry Pyrrha._

Pyrrha's ever-smiling face appeared for a moment in Blake's mind.

_I'm sorry Jaune._

Jaune grinning his goofily wide grin appeared.

_I'm sorry Weiss._

The moment on the rooftop appeared in Blake's mind, at the moment where Weiss was hugging Blake close after chipping away at a big portion of Blake's emotional wall… the first to do so since Margaret.

The memory caused Blake to smile faintly.

_And thank you._

Time seemed to slow as the blade started its descent, as if fate decided it would tease Blake by making the inevitable longer than it needed to be. Yet… a sense of unease started to build in Blake slowly causing her logical mind to come forth.

_Would time be going this slowly?_

It was then that Blake noticed an odd glow at either side of her. Upon closer inspection she was surprised to see a slowly rotating circle of pale white light with an odd symbol in the middle of it. Blake looked back up at Shiro only to see that the girl had definitely noticed the circle's presence judging from the look of surprise on her face Kuro seemed to be caught up in the same situation as he also made to brandish his weapon, but in a very slow fashion. Suddenly a flare of red slammed into Shiro's side sending her flying into the orphanage with Kuro following just behind. It was then that time went back to normal leaving Blake to stare at the place where Shiro was, poised to kill her, before looking at the hole in the orphanage wall that Shiro and Kuro crashed through.

_I'm… alive?_

"Aren't you supposed to be the one saving me?"

Blake's eyes widened as her eyes whipped over the source of the voice. As she did, a flash of red zipped past her to hunch over Yang, most likely Ruby, but Blake didn't care, her eyes solely on her savior, her partner. There stood Weiss Schnee in all her glory with a smile on her face as she knelt down beside Blake.

"You can't die," continued Weiss, "I forbid it."

Blake couldn't help but let out a raspy laugh at that.

"Of course you'd say that."

Weiss huffed.

"Naturally, I'm used to getting what I want after all," she said before winking cheekily at Blake.

Weiss then helped Blake into a sitting position.

"How did you manage to get free?" asked Blake, wincing as the movement agitated her injuries.

"Well your friend seemed to have a lot of knives, so I borrowed one."

Blake looked at her partner incredulously. Weiss looked back with a raised brow.

"What? When one of your servants was a professional pickpocket, you tend to pick up on a few things."

Blake stared at Weiss before she let out a chuckle.

"That sounds like quite the story," said Blake.

"One that you need to be alive for if you want to hear it," replied Weiss without missing a beat.

Blake shook her head in exasperation, too relieved to argue.

"Right."

It was then that Blake noticed something strapped to Weiss' back. Noticing Blake's gaze Weiss immediately took the object off and held it before Blake.

"Ruby and I found this before we got to you… I was hoping you could shed some light on what it is."

"…It's a sword," Blake replied without thinking.

Weiss let out a sigh.

"You know what I meant you dingus."

Blake blushed a bit in embarrassment.

"Yeah… sorry."

Weiss shook her head before looking down at the sword.

"Still… do you think it was your…"

Blake knew what Weiss was implying and shook her head.

"No, it wasn't Margaret's, Margaret was a pacifist, never really liked violence to begin with…"

Weiss let out a hum before she then pulled out a piece of paper from inside her skirt pocket.

"This was wrapped around the sheath," said Weiss, "It had something written in the front, but it's in a language I don't understand, maybe it has a clue on where this sword came from."

Blake blinked before she took the paper, which was folded in half and a bit bent; probably due to the amount of time it spent wrapped round the sheath. On the front was indeed a single word scrawled in a language quite familiar to Blake and it was not Margaret's handwriting. Suddenly Blake heard a familiar sound, one that filled her with dread.

"Weiss, look out!"

The said Schnee heiress didn't even blink as several knives slammed into a protective glyph, falling to the ground harmlessly.

"That wasn't very nice of you, Schnee-san…" growled Shiro as she emerged from the hole in the orphanage that her flight created, her brother in tow.

Blake gritted her teeth as she glared at the two. She knew that the twins wouldn't have been taken down from that blast, but she had hoped they would have taken a bit longer so that they'd have a chance to escape. Blake herself was injured without her main weapon, Yang was out for the count, Ruby was most likely shaken from being kidnapped and Weiss didn't have her rapier, thus things weren't looking very good for them at the moment. Sure Weiss had taken the twins by surprise, but now that their focus is on her, things would turn ugly fast.

"Weiss?!"

Blake blinked at Ruby's sudden exclamation and looked to the younger girl before her head whipped to where Weiss was… which was walking forth towards the angered twins.

_What is she doing?!_

Shiro meanwhile was grinning wildly at this.

"Oh? Did the young heiress suddenly become suicidal?"

Weiss didn't favor the question with a response, instead continuing with her trek, her hair shadowing her eyes. It was then that Blake sensed something off about her friend and partner, something that sent chills down her spine. It seemed that Shiro and Kuro had sensed it too as Kuro immediately went into a defensive position while Shiro backed up a step suddenly looking more on guard.

"I always felt that I was being left behind by my friends in every fight," Weiss suddenly said as she walked, "I felt like the weakest link and I felt useless."

Every step seemed resonate in Blake's ears as Weiss continued closer to impending doom, she wanted to scream for Weiss to move away, but her words had her speechless.

"And so I trained… I trained and trained until I couldn't breath because I was afraid of something, something that was far more terrifying than death ever could be."

Weiss finally looked up at the twins causing them to take involuntary steps back making Blake wonder at what they had seen.

"Do you want to know what it is?"

Shiro answered by throwing a few more knives at Weiss' face while Kuro sped at Weiss to slash at her with his _naginata. _Blake's eyes widened. She wouldn' only for a glyph to appear at Weiss' feet resulting in the heiress disappearing into thin air before the attacks connected. Blake's eyes widened as she looked around for her partner.

"I guess since you're so eager, I'll tell you."

Blake's head snapped up towards the source of the voice, eye's widening in shock. The Schnee heiress was currently in the air hovering with her arms outstretched, but that wasn't what caused her shock. Her shock resulted from seeing the mass amount of glyphs behind the heiress, all slowly spinning and giving off an ominous glow.

"It was the fear of being alone," said Weiss, her expression cold, "And strong fear can make even a weakling like me want to do more drastic things."

* * *

Pyrrha cut down yet another White Fang operative, giving a little huff at how easily he went down.

_Tch. And I was looking forward to this._

Pyrrha idly twirling Milo in her hand as she looked at the carnage surrounding her. There were bodies scattered all over the battlefield, all alive, but badly beaten.

_At least I'm pretty sure most of them are alive…_

Pyrrha shook the morbid thought away before she looked around for her partner only to find him sitting on a dog pile of unconscious men smirking at her.

"Are ya finished at your end Pyr?" asked Jaune.

Pyrrha simply allowed her smile to appear on her face as she nodded to her partner.

"M-Monsters…"

Pyrrha's eyes flicked over towards the few remaining Fang members who had gathered a bit away from the duo, fear practically dripping from their very beings. Pyrrha rolled her eyes at the fearful faces that were smug only a few moments before the battle had begun.

_This is why you shouldn't be so quick to judge your opponent, especially if you don't know what they're capable of._

"I mean… you did say that you heard of us though rumors…" said Jaune, "They called us… what did they call us?"

Pyrrha couldn't help but let out a giggle. Only her leader would willingly play with his enemies' minds by acting like a fool.

"I believe I heard at some point someone called us the 'Demons of Beacon'," supplied Pyrrha.

Jaune snapped his fingers as if having a 'Eureka' moment.

"That's the one! The 'Demons of Bacon'! I mean Beacon!" said Jaune obviously stumbling on purpose.

Pyrrha couldn't help laugh some more. It was then that she felt it. A strong waft of energy that seemed to shake her soul a bit. Pyrrha's smile was gone an instant when she felt it, it was on par with Jaune when he was fighting at full strength and even more shocking was the fact that Pyrrha recognized the aura. Jaune seemed to have sensed it too as he got up from his 'seat' with a serious expression on his face.

"Sorry gents, but I think we've played with you long enough," said Jaune notching Ira.

Pyrrha eagerly got into her own fighting position, anxious about the spike in aura she felt. Usually if someone unleashed their aura to this degree it meant that they were fighting someone powerful… although if that were the case why couldn't Pyrrha sense another aura?

_All will be explained in due time, right now I need to focus on finishing this up fast so that we can get over there._

Pyrrha looked over at her partner, who looked back, the same mind set reflecting off his eyes. She nodded to him before looking back at the cowering enemies before her, the large man with the chainsaw at the forefront looking less confident in himself than he did before.

"We'll make this quick," said Pyrrha.

* * *

Ozpin sipped on his coffee as he stared out into the faintly sensed several familiar auras flare up at once, a sure sign of battle. However he only let out a slight chuckle at this.

_How lively this night has become._

Ozpin let a small grin appear on his face.

"I see that your young apprentice has taken to following your footsteps almost every step of the way," Ozpin stated out loud.

A giggle filled the room as another figure stepped up beside him.

"But of course, after all I'm his loving older sister."

Ozpin shook his head in amusement.

"Let us pray that he has the decency to not get so carried away," stated Ozpin.

"Carried away? Surely this is not a jab at me?"

Ozpin simply took another sip of his coffee before he turned to look at the figure beside him. The woman in question wore a black cloak that obscured most of her features, but it couldn't shadow the two glowing golden eyes nor the conniving smirk on the woman's features.

"I suppose wouldn't know the whole story, just the ones that Glynda gave me through her rather thorough reports," stated Ozpin smiling a bit.

The smirk on the woman's face immediately turned into small pout.

"That woman enjoys to embellish things," grumbled the woman.

"I believe that was actually Miss Neopolitan that had the tendency to do that."

"Ah but perhaps the good headmistress could do with a less… stiff disposition."

"Now, now let's not talk down on Beacon's staff, you're pretty much colleagues now."

The woman simply let out a blinding, carefree smile that Ozpin could only shake his head at before turning back towards the window. He sensed that one of the battles were drawing to a close, however another battle seemed to be just beginning.

"What of that mission I sent you and Miss Neopolitan on?" he asked his face turning blank as he allowed his thoughts to take hold once again.

"Ah Ozpin, always so willing to change the course of a conversation when it pleases you," chided the woman before she continued on a more serious note, "It was successful… and what we found out is rather troubling."

Ozpin had a good idea of what this troubling find was. He only had suspicions, but this only confirmed it.

"Hmm… I see thank you, I will take this into consideration, you may go and rest, I'll have another mission for you in the morning," he stated.

"You and your secrets," giggled the woman before Ozpin heard her soft footsteps making their way towards the elevator, "One of these days you won't have enough room to keep all those secrets."

Ozpin couldn't help another smirk at that.

"True, but I've kept many secrets for a long time now," he said turning his body so that he could look over at the woman exiting his office, "Just as you have Miss Fall."

The woman stopped for a moment before hunching over with a sigh and turning with a mock-indignant expression, throwing off her hood in the process, revealing her long obsidian colored hair, the hair partially obscuring her right eye along with the woman's beautiful pale complexion. Couple all this with the fact that her golden iris' looked as if they could pierce the soul and in all honesty the woman would have looked terrifying if it weren't for the words that came out of her mouth.

"I told you so many times Ozzy, just call me Cinder!"


End file.
